Hermione, I Miss You
by DarthMittens
Summary: Hermione falls into a coma after being brutally beaten by a mystery assailant, leaving Harry to raise her three-year-old daughter, the father of whom is unknown. And when she wakes up, everything will have changed.
1. Three Years

**A/N: Sorry about how long this took to get out; I've been swamped! But it looks like it's all been cleared up, so you can expect the frequent updates again!**

_"Missing someone gets easier every day. Because even though it is one day further from the last time you saw each other, it is one day closer to the next time you will."_

_-Anonymous_

**Hermione, I Miss You**

**Chapter 1 - Three Years**

21-year-old Harry Potter sighed and ran a hand through his messy ebony hair as he sat down heavily on his couch. He opened the new Auror manual and stared at it with unmoving eyes, using this time to think…as he always did.

He had had a long day in the office, what with all the crimes happening and whatnot. He had taken the position of Head of Criminal Intelligence about a year ago, meaning he was pretty much involved with every criminal case in the magical world and some of the more severe in the muggle. When originally applying for the recently vacated position, he had informed his superiors that he was tired of fighting Dark Wizards, having done it his whole teenage life.

The truth was actually quite a bit different.

He loved fighting Dark Wizards and fighting crime—it was his life's calling. He had actually taken the intelligence position for very personal reasons, reasons known to none but himself. Some may have called it selfish and even manipulative had they seen how he had used his fame to attain the position, for nobody under the age of forty had ever received it. Some may have called it selfish…if they could see that much but not the reason for which he had done it.

Because, in truth, that reason was love.

Nothing more, nothing less. Just love for a woman who had up and vanished from the wizarding world without a trace three years ago, just one year out of Hogwarts. Just one year after helping Harry defeat one of the most evil wizards of all time. Just one year after making him fall in love with every aspect of her. Just one year after unknowingly breaking his heart after she happily informed him that she and his best friend had gotten together.

Harry dropped the book on his lap with a sigh, not possessing enough energy to try to fool himself that he was working and was most definitely _not_ thinking about _her_. Just as he did every night. He indeed thought about her every night, every day, every hour, every minute. He couldn't help himself. Three years it had been and she still ran every aspect of his life.

Especially his job.

For it was for her that he had taken the Head of Criminal Intelligence position. For most of the day he worked for the law, but the last hour of his workday was always devoted to finding her. He didn't have enough power as a regular Auror to spearhead the search, so he had taken the intelligence job to attain that necessary power. But it wasn't enough.

Harry would never give up hope, though, no matter how impossible it seemed. They had exhausted every strategy they could think of and Harry knew many of his subordinates were beginning to think he was a bit of a nutter…even Ron Weasley, his best friend and _her _first (and only, to the extent of Harry's knowledge) boyfriend. _"It's been three years,"_ they all said, _"when are you going to realize she's gone and just give up?"_

"Never," Harry said croakily, startling both himself and his phoenix, Fawkes. Though close, Fawkes was no Hedwig (and he knew to Fawkes that he was no Dumbledore), yet still gave him a very morose note and hopped onto the back of the couch to nuzzle Harry's head sympathetically. Harry absentmindedly reached up a hand to stroke Fawkes as he thought about the devastating news Ron had given him today.

"_Hey Harry_,_"_ he had said, knocking on his friend's open office door. _"You remember that lead on Hermione, that one that said he had seen her on one of his business trips the other day?"_ Harry had nodded eagerly, hoping for good news. Ron's lips had pressed into a downtrodden line and Harry had felt his heart clench as Ron said, _"He was found dead today in his home."_

That was just another in a string of leads that had led to nothing, absolutely nothing. They had all forgotten, or disappeared, or in this case, died.

Harry sighed again and pinched the bridge of his nose before rubbing tiredly at his eyes, ready for the day to be over.

He stood up and Fawkes suddenly squawked before disappearing in a burst of flame. _That's odd_, Harry thought to himself as he started to make his way upstairs. Fawkes had never done that before. Harry, eyebrows furrowed in thought, sat down on his bed and began tugging at his left shoe, the first step in getting ready for bed.

He stopped halfway though, feeling as though he would need to leave it on for the reason Fawkes had suddenly decided it was prudent to leave like that. He sat in silence, growing more agitated by the second. Annoyed, he finally decided that Fawkes was just incredibly hungry and the urge to eat had overcome him. He went back down to restart taking off his shoe when Fawkes suddenly reappeared, scaring the hell out of him.

Fawkes dropped a piece of paper in Harry's lap and landed on the bed next to him. "Thanks," said Harry to the bird before hastily grabbing the paper and reading Ron's near illegible handwriting.

_Hermione's at St. Mungo's. Get here quick._

Harry dropped the scrap of paper in shock as Fawkes held his tail feathers out for Harry to grab. Harry quickly did just that and Fawkes quickly used the phoenix's form of apparation, which was actually much more comfortable than the wizard's form of apparation.

They arrived in a hallway crowded with bustling Healers and a small amount of people hugging the walls and speaking in hushed whispers with one another. Harry stopped in his tracks as he saw an open door at the end of the hall. Inside the room was a woman who was screaming one of the most horrible screams he had ever heard as she trashed around on her blood-stained bed while Healers tried to operate on her. And he felt as though he was about to die when he realized that it was none other than the love of his life on that bed.

"Hermione," he said quietly, his feet automatically taking him in the direction of her room. "Hermione!" he said louder as his feet quickened the pace to a quick jog.

A pair of strong arms grabbed him and stopped him from going in the room, the owner of the arms saying, "Hold it, Harry. You can't go in."

"I can and I will," Harry snarled as he tried to grab his wand out of his pocket.

When that didn't work he began thrashing, trying to escape the arms and rush to Hermione to save her, to protect her. The arms picked him up and slammed him against the wall none too gently, knocking his head against the plaster. As white spots danced in his vision, the owner of the arms said, "God dammit, Harry. Get a hold of yourself or they'll kick you out."

Harry stopped struggling, Ron's logic cleanly cutting through his haze of desperation. "Good," Ron said with a relieved sigh while slowly, carefully releasing Harry.

Harry focused on his friend's face, which was fraught with worry. "What happened?" Harry asked as more Healers rushed past them and into Hermione's room. "What's wrong with her?"

"Dunno," said Ron with a shrug and worried glance at her doorway. "I was just visiting Lavender when they rolled her in, screaming a bunch of medical jargon at each other."

Harry, wanting more time to process the fact that Hermione was in the same building as him, swallowed and asked, "How's Lavender?"

"Good," said Ron with a smile. "Giving birth to your godson took a lot out of her is all. She'll be good to come home in a few days."

"Good, good," said Harry. "Where _is _Hugo?"

"With mum," said Ron.

"Ah," said Harry as Hermione's screaming grew louder.

Harry swallowed hard, feeling helpless as more sweat beaded on his forehead.

The screaming went on for more than a half-hour, and he could hear more activity from the healers along with a small girl who was crying, sitting next to a professional looking man in fancy dress robes. "Why don't they just stun her?" Ron asked, the first one to speak in over 20 minutes.

"She'll die," replied Harry. "If she goes under now she may never wake up."

Ron nodded and they sat there in silence, waiting for any change to occur. Finally the screaming stopped to be replaced by dead silence. Harry preferred the screaming.

Then came a moan. "Harry. Please…Harry."

Harry jumped up to his feet as a Healer rushed out of the room. "What was wrong with her?" he asked, wanting to know how bad it was before he went in.

"Sill is…" said the Healer, not wanting to sugarcoat anything and give Harry false hope. "Hit with multiple dark curses, crucios, and slicing hexes."

"So was it a dark curse that had her screaming like that?" Harry asked.

The Healer nodded solemnly and Harry's face became determined to the point of being scary, his power radiating throughout the hall. "I _will _catch whoever did this."

The Healer nodded, fear sending a shiver down her spine. Whoever had assaulted that woman better kill themselves before Harry Potter got a hold of them—they would be in a much better situation that way. "You can go in now," the woman said meekly. "We actually stopped most of it, but…"

Harry nodded grimly before nervously stepping into the room, a tentative smile on his face. He was finally seeing her after three years.

And she looked more beautiful than he remembered, the Healers having taken care of all the external injuries. Her bed had been scourgified too, so all the blood was gone. It didn't look nearly as bad as when he had first got there.

"Harry," she whispered agonizingly, her whole body trembling. Looks like it was still pretty bad.

"Hermione," he whispered back, grabbing her limp hand and squeezing it.

She gave him a small, pained smile and applied the tiniest bit of pressure back. "Holly…" she said so quietly that Harry held his breath to hear her better. "Take…care of…Holly."

Harry didn't know who Holly was, yet he nodded and stayed quiet for her sake. "Promise me..." she said, gasping with pain every couple words, "…you'll take care…of Holly."

"I promise, Hermione," Harry said quietly.

"Don't…Ron…" Hermione moaned, becoming less lucid, "No…Ron…"

"Ron's fine," said Harry, confused. "He's fine. You want me to go grab him?"

He turned to go fetch Ron but Hermione seemed to get a burst of strength as her other hand came over to grab his wrist. Harry stopped and turned back around. "No…Ron…Holly…Don't…"

"Okay, yeah," said Harry with a nod, not wanting to worry Hermione in her current state.

"Thank you," Hermione whispered before her hand went completely limp and her eyes slid closed.

"Oh Merlin," Harry breathed in horror before coming to his senses and yelling, "Help! Help her!"

A few Healers rushed in as another escorted Harry out into the hallway. The healers sounded frantic, and Harry numbly slid down the wall and stared at the floor between his legs as he rested his head in his hands.

Ron came over, worry etched on his face. "Was she awake? Did she say anything?"

"Yeah," said Harry, so focused on still trying to figure out what she had been telling him that he wasn't paying any real attention to Ron. "She told me…take care of Holly…and something to do with you."

Ron gulped. "Something to do with…me?" he asked incredulously, sweat beading on his forehead. "What did she say?"

"I don't know," said Harry thoughtfully. "Just you and the words 'no' and 'don't'."

"Who's Holly?" Ron asked, changing the subject.

Harry shook his head and truly focused on his friend for the first time since leaving Hermione's room. "I don't know…" he said thoughtfully. "Obviously female, must be a kid if she needs to be taken care of."

The man in the fancy dress robes stood up and walked up to them, trying his best to look important. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," the man said. "I'll be pleased to identify one Miss Holly Granger."

"Holly…_Granger_?" Harry asked. "Does Hermione have a sister or something?"

"You don't know?" the man asked while arching an eyebrow, pleased that he knew something the great Harry Potter didn't. "Holly Granger is that little girl right there." The man pointed at the girl who had been sitting next to him, the girl who had been crying. "Holly's father remains unknown and the rest of Miss Granger's family was killed during the war." Harry nodded solemnly, remembering the grisly scene in the Grangers' home during their seventh year. "And you obviously don't know that you are the only godparent of Holly, who is indeed the child of Hermione Granger."

"I'm her…Godfather?" Harry asked, shocked, already slowly walking toward her. She was about three years old and already seemed to have Hermione's hair—actually, now that he thought about it, she looked just as he imagined Hermione would've looked at three years old. There was no hint as to who the father could be.

Harry, numb with shock, kneeled in front of the young girl, whose eyes were red from crying. "Hello Holly," he said kindly.

"Hi Harry," she responded, though her 'R's were pronounced more like 'W's.

Harry, needless to say, was surprised. "How did you know I was Harry?"

"Mummy told me lots about you," she said. "She tells stories about you all the time. Maybe she'll tell me one tonight."

"Yeah," said Harry with a small smile on his face despite the lone tear that ran down his left cheek. "Maybe."

A Healer came out of Hermione's room at that second and Harry said, "Wait right here, okay? I'll be right back."

Holly nodded as she swung her legs and sniffled. Harry walked over to the Healer, who said, "It seems that whatever spells hit this poor woman nearly destroyed both her magical core and her body. She…well, she's gone into a coma."

Ron caught Harry's eye and heaved a relieved sigh. The Healer left them and Ron, catching Harry's sadness, said, "Cheer up, mate. This is _Hermione_ we're talking about. She'll be out of there by the end of the week."

"Yeah," said Harry, turning away from Ron. "I…I'll see you in the office in a few days."

"Right," said Ron, waiting for Harry to get back to Holly before turning to look at Hermione's door. His eyes flashed with something unknown before he turned on the spot, apparating to his parents' house to grab Hugo.

Harry walked over to Holly, who was looking at him hopefully. "Is mummy going to tell me a story tonight?"

And Harry felt his heart shatter. Despite what Ron said, he couldn't find it in himself to be optimistic at that moment. The only reason he didn't break down and scream and bawl his eyes out was because of the promise he had made to Hermione. "Not tonight," said Harry, giving Holly a smile. "Your mum's already asleep. But _I_ can tell you one about _her_ tonight."

"So am I going to your house?" Holly asked excitedly.

Harry chuckled. "Yeah, are you okay with that?" he asked her.

Holly pretended to think hard about it, seeming oddly mature for three years old. "As long as you tell me a story about mummy," she said, leaping off her seat and grabbing Harry's hand, looking up at him with admiration shining in her eyes.

"Deal," said Harry with a grin, turning on the spot and apparating the both of them to his house in Godric's Hollow.

It wasn't until after he had made a room for Holly, tucked her in, and told her a story that he finally allowed himself to cry in the comfort of his bed.


	2. Nine Years

**A/N: Geez, over a month without updating this story. I'm mortified. Sick + Job + School + Writer's Block = Not Fun.**

**Well, here is the long overdue chapter anyway! Please Enjoy and Review when finished!**

_Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad.  
>-Unknown<em>

**Chapter 2 – 9 Years**

_Hermione,_

_I miss you. Three years you were out of my life and I receive the news that you're back, only you're in St. Mungo's! To top it all off, you then had to go and fall into a coma! How unfair the world is, that I was to finally see you again only for you to slip right back out my reach._

_I'm always reaching for you, Hermione. For some reason I can never seem to catch you and just hold on._

_I'm glad you chose me to be Holly's godfather, she's really cute. Very smart, just like you of course. She knows something's going on. She wants to know why you won't wake up. I don't know what to do, Hermione. Do I tell her? Do I tell her you'll be alright? Do I tell her you'll be asleep for a long time? Do I…do I let her know that you may never wake up?_

_This is difficult, Hermione. More difficult than all of our school-day escapades combined. Almost as difficult as losing you. I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know where I'm going. I thought I had purpose in my life, but then I look at Holly and realize that I was going nowhere…doing nothing. I thought I had confidence…I had kidded myself into believing that I was doing great without you. Holly managed to open my eyes in only ten minutes._

_I'm nothing without you, Hermione. So you better wake up soon. Then, and only then, maybe I'll be able to wake up, too._

_Love,  
>Harry<em>

30-year-old Harry Potter sighed as he looked up at the empty train tracks through his messy raven locks. He read the same line of the book he had been reading for the fifteenth time, unable to concentrate. It was June 31st, which meant that Holly would be coming home from her first year of school at any minute now.

"Hey, mate," came a voice from right in front of him.

Harry gave Ron a grim smile and said, "What's up?" He couldn't get himself to be cheerful—he was too full of apprehension.

"So Holly and Hugo had a good first year, eh?" Ron asked, feeling the awkwardness despite his severely lacking emotional range.

Harry clutched the letter tightly in his fist, wondering if that was really the case. Then he quickly let his hand relax; he didn't to crumple the letter.

Ron caught on to Harry's mood and fell silent, giving his mate a nervous smile. They stood there, Ron with his hands in his pockets and Harry with one hand holding the book and the other clutching the letter, looking down at the ground between them. The silence was long and pained.

Finally, Harry glanced at the letter one more time and felt his stomach clench, then quietly said, "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me, Ron. I feel sorry for whoever her birth father is, because she's amazing."

Ron let out the tiniest of growls and stormed away, shoulders hunched, leaving Harry behind to wonder if he had said something inappropriate. If he had been paying careful attention to Ron, Harry would've seen his shoulder straighten as he came to a sudden stop. To the casual observer it would look like Ron had just had a moment of inspiration.

Harry had already turned back to his book, though, his nerves threatening to buckle his knees. He was worried…very worried. Harry froze up as the platform exploded to life, the train having come around the corner and into view. Parents waved and the few children who weren't too embarrassed about doing it in front of their friends waved back. Space was cleared as the train came to a stop, the yellow lines on the ground clearly marking the 'stay clear' zone forcing the parents to step away from the train or be scolded.

Harry closed his book and tucked it into his magically enlarged pocket, running his hand through his hair as his agitation threatened to overwhelm him. Students began pouring out of the train with their trunks only to be inhaled into the group by hugging arms and embarrassing kisses, parents not caring if they ruined their child's reputation. The platform was a happy place, a place of love, and while the situation was no different for Harry, he also found it to be a place of worries and anxieties at that moment.

Students kept coming out as the minutes ticked by, and eventually the crowd thinned along with the frequency of the children leaving the train, the majority of them having already disembarked. A few minutes went by without any student getting off the train and Harry hadn't seen his daughter yet, the anxiety now gnawing at his bones. He felt like he was going to puke!

Then a small head of smooth, curly brown hair stepped off the train and onto the platform. Harry knew she knew where he was, yet she stood still, staring at the ground. She finally met his eye to let him know that she knew where he was then determinedly marched her way up to him, returning his tight, fatherly embrace with an awkward hug of her own.

Harry sighed as he stood back up, though he had gotten more than he thought he would. They stood there for a moment, Harry trying to formulate what he was going to say, when she suddenly grabbed his hand, letting him know she was ready to go back home, and looked away.

Harry, trying to force at least one word out of her, quietly asked, "Are you ready?" though he already knew what the answer was.

She didn't look at him or nod her head or give any sign that she had heard him, and he sighed sadly one more time before apparating them back to their home in Godric's Hollow—Lily and James's renovated home. They arrived in the lounge downstairs and Holly immediately stormed up the stairs.

"Holly!" Harry called, too afraid to go after her in case she looked at him with those eyes full of disappointment and distrust. "Holly!" He walked to the bottom of the stairs and called, "Holly Lily Granger, you get down here this instant!"

Then she said it…well, more like yelled it. "Why should I? You can't tell me what to do…you're not my real dad!"

Harry grimaced as a pain as bad as the crucio gripped his heart and throat, causing shame and sadness to shoot through him simultaneously. He had a feeling that it was all about this and knew he should've told her about it a long time ago. He had been trying to avoid a situation like this, but in the end he only seemed to have made it worse.

_For the same reason you tried to save Sirius. For the same reason your friends saved you. After all these years, after all you've suffered, I didn't want to cause you any more pain. I cared too much about you._

Harry's mentor's words rang through his head as he ascended the stairs, the truth of it now plain for him to see. How naïve he had been as a teenager, how innocent. How easily swayed, how much emotion ran his life. That's why he was scared about the conversation he was about to have with Holly. If she were to end up hating him, he didn't know what he would do.

Parenting was much harder than Molly had made it seem.

His breathing and heartbeat quickened as he approached her door, the sign on it saying, "Unicorn Crossing" with a hand-drawn unicorn from when she was five years old bringing hot tears to his eyes. He knocked right above the drawing, wishing she was that small again. Everything had been so much simpler, so much easier. It only got harder as the years went by and she was exposed to more and more cruelties of the world. He hoped he wouldn't end up becoming one of those cruelties. He wished it with all his heart.

"Can I come in, Holly?" he asked nervously, his heart beating a tattoo on his ribcage.

"Go away!" she yelled, making his chest tighten. She was crying.

He jiggled the doorknob, cursing himself for allowing her to put a lock on it. "Please, Holly. Please let me in."

The tears were more prominent in her voice as she said, "I don't want to talk right now."

Harry's heartbeat died down, the adrenaline gone now that the situation was over. He let his head rest against her door as he left his hand on the doorknob, wishing he could just hug her and give her booboo a kiss just like he did every time she had cried.

He thought for a second about using alohamora on the lock, but immediately discounted the thought. It would've been easy to have done that and forced a conversation onto his daughter that she just didn't seem to be ready to have, to explain himself and make her love him again. But nobody ever said parenting was easy. She was growing up now, she was becoming a young woman. In just five short years she would be a legal adult in the wizarding world and out of his house, off to face the world and take it head on. Off to go out in the world without her in need of his protection, his guidance. He was the number one man in her life now, but in far too soon for his liking someone else would be taking that mantle, leaving him to sit back and hope he knows what her new man is doing. If he sheltered her too much she would have trouble adapting and growing up, which would make him a bad parent even if he was trying to do good at the time. Sometimes being a good parent was about making the tough decision…the decision he really didn't want to make. So, a lump in his throat, Harry said, "Well…I-I'll be here to talk about it whenever you're ready, okay?"

He slowly counted to ten and when he got no response his chest tightened even more, his tears threatening to spill over. He hated it when Holly got mad or disappointed in him, which was really rare but still incredibly painful nonetheless. He knew that every parent and child went through it—that it was a part of the child growing up—yet he wished that he could've avoided it. He turned around and headed back to the stairs, and when he was on the top step he froze. He had just heard her door click. Harry quickly wiped the tears out of his eyes and turned around to face her, meeting her slightly softened gaze as she stood in her doorway already clad in her Quidditch pajamas. She was only twelve but she had the eyes of a woman, much like Hermione did when she was that age. It was eerie how similar the two were. Holly clutched the hem of her top, the vulnerability and confusion thick in her voice as she said, "D-Dad?" And in that moment Harry was forced to remember that no matter how old her eyes looked she was still a kid, confused and in need of guidance and love. He remembered that she was vulnerable.

"Yes?" he asked, his throat constricting at the tone of her voice, which sounded defeated and pained.

She looked at the floor, unable to meet his gaze as she quietly said, "I missed you."

He smiled at her as tears pricked his eyes again, though this time they were tears of relief and pride. "I missed you too, sweetheart."

Holly looked up at him one more time before disappearing back into her room, leaving Harry alone again. He collapsed on the top step and took shaky breaths, glad that she didn't seem to hate him for what he had done to her. The only time he had ever felt this relieved was when he had realized that Hermione was alive and breathing in the battle at the ministry in fifth year. It was a type of relief that went down to the core of his bones and made him exhausted, the sickening apprehension from before having already drained him enough. He smiled as he got his breathing back to normal, then stood up and cheerily made his way back downstairs to make dinner.

As he stood with the ingredients for Holly's favorite, Harry's handmade-from-scratch pizza, the reality hit him. That was just the easy part. He had raised her and she loved him—it was a no-brainer that she wouldn't hate him for something like this! What would be really difficult were the following the steps…the steps to gaining her trust back. It helped that she was very intelligent, loving and trusting, but the fact of the matter was that he had really hurt her by keeping it a secret from her and it was a basic human defense mechanism to learn from one's mistakes. Of course, growing up Holly had kept more than one secret from Harry, but she was a child and Harry an adult—he knew all too well that the children and parents didn't react that same to similar situations.

Harry sighed as he began getting to work on the pizza, telling himself not to worry too much and that everything would turn out to be just fine.

Nevertheless, forty minutes later he was ripe with worry again, though he had worked out what he was going to say. He had never been a timid parent, but right now was the single-most nerve-wracking moment of Harry's life and his body was reacting appropriately to it.

He shook his head and pulled out a piece of paper, scribbling, 'Dinner's ready. I made pizza. If you don't want to eat now, you can come down later and I'll heat it up for you. I promise not to use that as an excuse to talk to you about it, too.'

He charmed the paper into a paper airplane and sent it flying up the stairs and under Holly's door to fly onto her lap. Harry wouldn't pressure her into anything, but he did hope she would come downstairs and talk to him about it so he could hopefully ease both their minds.

Harry waited ten minutes, ears straining to hear her door opening, hoping against all hope she would come downstairs, frequently checking his watch to see how long it had been. Just as he was about to give up hope he heard her door open, heard her small feet on the wood as she descended the stairs. She took her seat across from him without looking at him, a new book in her hand. She read a book every week, something Harry knew Hermione would've been proud of, something Harry knew he was proud of. Hermione…Harry wished she was here right now. She would've known what to do. She always knew what to do.

Harry ate and looked at his daughter's face as she read while she ate, a skill she was very proficient at. He figured she might have had quite a bit of practice at school considering she had never done it in his presence before. Her book was propped open and leaning up against her drink, the pages held open at the bottom by her plate. Her eyes weren't moving, though, leading Harry to believe she was thinking very hard, another one of her hobbies. Her eyes were unfocused and now the pizza sat forgotten in her hand, limp and forlorn. Harry hoped it wasn't an omen.

"Why didn't you tell me?" her confused voice finally snapped the silence.

Harry had been expecting this question yet still fumbled over the words, his guilt burning hot in his stomach. "I-I tried…the right time never presented itself," he said lamely, knowing it was another lie.

Her beautiful brown eyes rose up and met his and Harry felt his heart clench for what must've been the twentieth time that day. They were shining with more emotion at once than he believed possible. Hurt, anger, love, confusion, sadness. Her eyes truly were a window into her soul at that moment.

Holly seemed to accept his answer yet didn't comment on it, leaving Harry to wonder what she thought about it. He let her continue to drive the conversation, somehow knowing in his gut that he was doing the right thing and helping her grow up. "Who's my real dad?"

The question that shook Harry to his bones. That plagued him every day. If he could somehow find the man who had impregnated Hermione with this wonderful child, everything would become clear. Why he was left to raise her, why Hermione had run off, why she had been in a coma for nine years, why she wasn't waking up. If he could just find out who her father was…it was the key to everything. Harry calculated that Hermione had already been one month pregnant when she had disappeared twelve years ago, so his first suspect had been Ron. But Ron had informed him that he and Hermione had stopped being intimate three whole months before he and Hermione had broken it off, which was a couple weeks before Hermione disappeared, according to Ron. Harry hadn't been too privy on their relationship at the time. So Ron had declined to give his blood, claiming a fear of needles that Harry knew far too well about. Harry tried everyone who he though may have been the father, from Seamus Finnegan to Terry Boot, only to come up negative on each and every paternity test he had done. If only he could've found out who!

So he quietly said, "I don't know who your birth father is. I wish I did, because I would punch his face in." Holly giggled, bringing a smile to Harry's face. Somehow violence always got through to children, even if they were girls. "He was the luckiest man in the world with two beautiful, amazing women in his life, and he abandoned both of you." He paused and said, "But if you're talking about your real dad he's sitting right in front of you, taking care of you and loving you each and every day of your life. Your dad will never abandon you, you can count on that."

Holly looked down at her pizza. "Everyone at school was making fun of me for not having proper parents. I told them I had a dad and they told me that their parents had told them I wasn't your daughter. I let them convince me into thinking you weren't my real dad because I had never heard you say it and we didn't have the same last name." Harry had tears in his eyes and slid his arm over the table to lightly grasp Holly's hand. She looked up at him with a brilliant smile on her face and said, "Next time they tell me I don't have a dad, I'll laugh in their faces and tell them I have the best dad in the whole world! Because I say you're my dad and I don't care what anyone else thinks! Our hearts are what matter, not blood!"

Harry was amazed at how much of a learning experience this had been for him too as he smiled and said, "That's the spirit! Now, do you want to watch a movie with the best dad in the whole world?"

Holly hopped up out of her chair eagerly and said, "Yes! Can I choose?"

"Have I ever not let you choose?" he asked her as he looked at her suspiciously.

Holly giggled and ran into the living room, opening the movie cabinet on the TV stand and rifling through the movies even though she must've done it at least a thousand times. Harry smiled and brought the dishes into the kitchen, glad that everything had worked itself out in the end.

His knees were weak though and he was still giddy with relief. That was twice today that he had been exhausted so much by it. He couldn't believe he thought his daughter wouldn't love him as much as she always had. She looked up to him as her role model and her father and he provided her with the best guidance he could. They were best friends , and Harry knew now that nothing could ever change that. Because the heart of a child is open and forgiving, trusting and loving. Once she sorted out what was bothering her she had realized the truth and forgiven him for his error, something most adults would've never done. He loved her with all his heart and she realized it and cherished it, returning it in full.

"Dad?" came Holly's voice from the living room. "It's ready!"

Harry smiled and shook his head, glad that everything seemed to be back to normal. He called, "I'm coming!" and finished up the dishes before drying his hands and joining her. "What are we watching?"

Holly held up the case for Die Hard.

Harry's mouth thinned. "A rated R movie? Hmm," he studied her wide, innocent eyes and hopeful smile. She knew it was her dad's favorite movie and had always wanted to see a rated R one, so this was the one she always tempted him with. "I don't know…" he said, pleased that her smile turned into one of despair. "I think…" she held her breath, ready for the final verdict. Harry knew he was having way too much fun. "…You've seen much worse at school in this past year."

Holly scrunched up her face. "I haven't seen anyone get shot and die."

Harry chuckled. "Not quite what I meant, Holls. Besides, do you want to watch the movie or not? Don't present an argument for me."

Holly closed her mouth and pressed play on the movie. Harry smiled as he relaxed on his couch, Holly doing the same on hers. They always had handmade meal and movie night once a week and had their own rituals to go with it.

Harry didn't pay much attention to the movie, having already seen it countless times. What he did do was continuously glance at his daughter, glad that she was back and that everything was well between them.

They had a fun summer to get going on.

Harry watched the Alan Rickman scenes with interest, though. Alan Rickman always did a great job and Harry never grew tired of his performance. He imagined that if he wanted to, Alan Rickman could've played a very good Professor Snape if they had done a movie about Hogwarts.

The movie ended on its high note and Harry glanced over at Holly, who was curled up and completely asleep. Harry smiled as his heart was warmed—she looked even more innocent and carefree than normal in such a vulnerable state. He picked her up and she stirred but didn't awaken, only draped her arms over his shoulders and snuggled her head closer to his chest in an attempt to get more comfortable. He smiled and walked carefully up the stairs, glad that Holly was still small and light enough to do this, even if only for a short while longer. He hated that she grew up so fast, that she would be taking on life on her own soon enough. He didn't know how nine years had passed by in the blink of an eye. He didn't know how he had added new and built upon the already existing foundations Hermione had laid to raising such a great daughter. He didn't know how he had ended up so lucky in the end.

He gently set Holly down on her bed and tucked her in, kissing her forehead lovingly before making a move to leave the room. "Dad," her half-asleep voice stopped him. "You always told me you loved mum very much. How did you not end up being my birth father?"

Harry smiled sadly at her, though she couldn't see very well because the hallway was bright while the room was dark. "I did love and still do love your mother with all my heart." He paused, working up the courage to finish the only story about her mother he had never told her. "I never got to tell her." He looked at her and smiled at her again. "Good night, Holly."

"Dad," her now fully-awake voice stopped him. She looked at him with very serious eyes and said, "I'm sure she loved you back just as much. I don't know how anyone couldn't. When she wakes up, will you two get married and be my mum and dad together?"

Harry grinned into the darkness, sincerely hoping that that would be the case. "We'll see," he said though, never making any promise he couldn't keep.

Holly studied him in silence before saying, "Good night, dad. Love you."

Harry was snapped out of his dreams and into a reality that he still wouldn't have given up for anything. "Good night, my princess. Love you too," he replied lovingly before leaving his daughter's room and closing the door behind him.

He got in bed and laid down at eleven pm, yet had so much going through his mind that he somehow didn't end up falling asleep until three in the morning, Hermione walking down the aisle in a beautiful wedding gown occupying his head for the first time in quite a while.


	3. One Day Under the Sun

**A/N: Wow, it's been two years. I seem to have finally struck inspiration for this story and have written the next several chapters, so this time it'll be seen through to the end.**

**Enjoy.**

**One Day Under the Sun**

_Hermione,_

_It amazes me how much time has passed since the day Holly came into my life. It's her fifth birthday today and I have to say it doesn't feel like it's been two whole years already. Before I know it, she'll be going to Hogwarts and I'll only get to see her a couple months out of the year. My job is going well; the Death Eaters are all but extinct at this point, thanks to the help of Malfoy (who would've guessed?). I gotta say it's been pretty lonely without you here to scold me or tell me what to do, but somehow I'm figuring it out when it comes to your daughter. I've been doing my best to make you as proud as I can and truly make her your daughter above all else._

_Love,_

_Harry_

* * *

><p>"Dad, I gotta say that it's really cool that you're my dad," Holly said, grinning up at him from her seat, where she had a big A painted on her face and a light-blue cloak with a silver arrow seemingly flying through the air on the front of it.<p>

"I gotta say that it's really cool that you're my daughter," Harry replied, grinning back at her just as goofily, an Appleby Arrows pin stuck to the front of his cloak.

A Tutshill Tornados player went streaking by right in front of the two, quaffle underarm, low and flat against his broom. An Arrows beater was ready near a bludger, though, and Holly cheered as he smashed the dangerous ball against the chaser's back, forcing the quaffle out with a whump. An Arrows chaser scooped up the ball from underneath and rocketed for the posts, dodging a close shot from the bluder hit lightning-fast. She rolled around a defender and shot the quaffle hard, managing to slip it just inches past the Keeper's fingers. She pumped a fist up into the air, earning a cheer from the crowd.

Her celebration was cut short when a Tornados player flashed past her, long, dark hair whipping behind her. The Arrows' seeker was right on her tail, his lips forming words that Harry could only imagine through experience were words of encouragement to his broom. They didn't count for much, though, since the Tornados seeker managed to widen the gap between the two as the snitch darted back and forth just out of her reach. She managed to dodge a bludger by rolling so that her head was mere centimeters from smashing against the ground before rolling back upright without losing any speed, which put her even farther ahead of the Arrows' seeker.

"Dad, Cho Chang is so good!" Holly exclaimed in awe. "Imagine if the Arrows had her! They'd be unstoppable!"

Though Harry knew he shouldn't teach his daughter to boast, he never missed a chance to seem cool in her eyes. "Y'know, Holly, I played seeker against Cho back in Hogwarts."

Holly's eyes widened in awe, making her look so cute that it made Harry's heart hurt. "Did you win?" she asked excitedly.

The memories of that match against Cho filled his mind, bringing back memories of the dementor attack he experienced at the time. "Well, I never really got to finish that game because of dementors, but I would have beaten her," he said, throwing all sense of being modest out the window. His daughter was the only person in the world he felt comfortable showing off to.

"Wow," Holly said in awe. "Hopefully I make the Quidditch team this year."

Harry blinked, taken aback. "You want to play Quidditch? Since when?"

"Well, you were a pretty good Quidditch player, Dad, and I see how much you loved playing by how sparkly your eyes get when you talk about it. And we've been to so many games that it would be impossible for me to not love the sport by now," Holly said as if she had thought this through before. "The only reason I didn't try out last year was because I was intimidated by the upperclassmen."

Harry thought for a moment before replying. "Well no matter what you choose to do, just remember that I will always support you."

Holly smiled brilliantly at him. "Thanks, Dad."

Holly went back to watching the game, which Harry completely ignored for a moment to relish in the thought that his daughter really had a good head on her shoulders. Though she was Hermione's kid and most of that level-headedness came from that fact, he still liked to think that he was at least partially responsible for the way she turned out.

When Harry finally returned his attention to the game, the Arrows seeker might as well have just given up, he was so far behind Cho, who was mere millimeters from snatching the snitch. She anticipated its curve and beat it to where it was going, finally catching it and giving the Tornados the win.

Holly cheered even though she had been an Arrows fan for the duration of her life, and Harry knew she was good when it came to Quidditch if she would cheer for an opposing player just because of the fact that she was really good.

Cho flew by them and she and Harry shared a quick, friendly conversation. Afterwards, she signed the snitch she had caught and gave it to Holly with a wink at Harry before pulling away and heading to the team lockers. Holly was on cloud nine as she looked at the snitch with giant eyes. Harry would need to send Cho a thank you gift.

"Well, you ready?" Harry finally asked as Holly stuffed the snitch in a magically binding pocket.

Holly looked at him and inquisitively asked, "Where are we off to next?"

"To see your mother," Harry said simply, and Holly's face lit up again.

"I can't wait to tell her about the snitch Cho gave me!" she said gleefully, and grasped Harry's hand in preparation for apparation.

The two of them arrived at St. Mungo's, arriving in Hermione's room, which she had entirely to herself. Holly ran right up and started telling her everything that had happened over the course of her first year at Hogwarts.

Harry watched on quietly, a sad smile on his face. How had such a wonderful, nice, caring person end up like this? How was it fair in any sense of the word? She should be the one seeing her daughter grow up to be the beautiful, amazing woman she was becoming. She had done nothing but stay by his side as he took on the most powerful dark wizard of all time and had shown nothing but love toward everyone, and she had still ended up like this. As always, he inevitably came to the conclusion that this was at least partially his fault. He should have been there. He should have never let her leave his sight.

"...Oh, and Cho Chang signed this snitch and gave it to me today, Mum! It's awesome!" Holly said, then smiled up at Harry and said, "Okay, it's your turn, Dad."

Then she skipped out of the room, beaming once more at the snitch Cho had given her.

Harry sat down in the chair at the side of her bed and grasped her hand, always shocked by how warm and full of life it was despite the state of her health. That warmth was the only thing that gave him enough hope to keep telling the healers to keep her alive. He knew she was still in there somewhere, fighting to wake up and retake her rightful place by her daughter's side.

His throat burning as usual when this time came, Harry gave her hand a light squeeze and said, "I miss you so much, Hermione. I know Holly never says it, but she misses you too. We both miss you so much it hurts." He took a moment to look at her face, which was still breathtakingly beautiful despite how gaunt it was, then continued. "Holly and I hit a bit of a rough patch yesterday, but she's a good girl who knows what really matters. We're doing pretty good. I'm looking forward to a nice long summer with her before she goes off again. Work is hectic as usual, but gets a little better day by day. Same with life, to be honest." He saw her weekly, so he was already running out of things to say. So he gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and said, "We'll be right here when you come back, Hermione. Sweet dreams."

Harry stepped out of the room and took Holly's hand, and said, "Well, we're off to your Uncle Ron's and Aunt Lavender's. Ready?"

"Yep!"

Harry apparated them onto the front doorstep of Ron's Burrow, as he called it, which was a little less than a mile from the original Burrow. Ron let them in with a grin on his face, letting Holly know how jealous he was when she showed him her signed snitch from Cho. He nudged Holly and said, "Y'know, your dad's first kiss was with Cho Chang."

Holly's jaw dropped, and she turned around to face him so she could say, "You never told me that, Dad!"

Harry smiled sheepishly and said, "I don't really know if it was that much of a kiss, to be fair. I probably never told you because it was pretty lame."

Holly scrutinized him and said, "I don't think you and Cho would have made that good of a couple anyway."

Harry laughed out loud. "You got that right. That relationship was pretty terrible."

Holly smiled at him. "You would be much better with my mum."

Harry laughed again, though this time it was a little out of embarrassment, especially with Ron right there. Ron didn't so much as smile, and said, "Well, dinner will be ready in a couple minutes. Think Lav's making fish and chips. Nothing fancy but more delicious than anything you've had in awhile, I guarantee you that."

Holly went running off to find Hugo, undoubtedly to show him her new signed snitch. The two of them were pretty close, having had many playdates as they had grown. Lavender also looked after the kids while the two men were at work, so Holly had spent many a long day with her younger friend.

Dinner was delicious just as Ron promised, and Lavender was excited to see Holly again. Dinner passed pretty perfectly except for the fact that Ron seemed to want to talk to Holly more than usual. Harry knew it was probably since the two of them got along pretty well and he had missed her while she was away at school. After all, Ron was still a kid at heart, so he could live vicariously through Hugo and Holly and even be a child with the two of them at times.

After dinner, Harry and Holly headed home, had a nice bowl of ice cream, and headed off to bed. As Harry drifted off to sleep, he couldn't help but feel that even though Hermione was in a coma, Holly being back home made life pretty damn close to perfect at the moment.

The next morning, Harry had to go in for work. He had reduced hours during the summer so he could spend more time with Holly, so he only had to work three days a week instead of five. He dropped Holly off with Lavender so the two kids could hang out while supervised, then headed into the office, where there was already a small mess of documents waiting for him on his desk.

As soon as he started sorting through the pile and organizing it, a knock sounded on his door, which was a little odd. His employees usually gave him at least five to ten minutes to get settled before bothering him with anything.

"Come in," Harry said, wondering if it was an emergency.

The door opened to reveal a young woman who was probably fresh out of school. "Hey there," she said in a bubbly voice that somehow set Harry on edge. Maybe it was because he had never seen anyone in the department with that amount of energy before. For some reason it was...unnerving. "I'm the new intern, Stacy Walker. It's great to meet you, Mr. Potter."

As she leaned over to shake his hand, he noticed that she was wearing a top that was more revealing than was acceptable and she purposely seemed to be trying to draw his attention directly there.

This was the problem with ranking so high on Witch Weekly's "Most Eligible Bachelor" list for over ten years straight. Every woman who had the chance to even get remotely close to him thought it was a good idea to hit on him. While it was certainly flattering, it quickly became annoying.

"Let me remind you, Ms. Walker, that whether or not you wear a cloak, you must be dressed professionally at all times," he said neutrally, making sure to maintain eye contact with her so she didn't get any odd ideas. "We aren't going out for a trip to Hogsmeade; we're here to catch criminals."

Stacy nodded enthusiastically. "Yes sir," she said. "Sorry sir."

Harry waved his hand in front of his face. "As long as you don't do it again, there won't be any problems. Dismissed."

Stacy left him alone in his office, and Harry let out a sigh of relief. She had taken that better than most. Hopefully it was a sign that she would actually be productive instead of trying to get in his pants all day.

Alas, it wasn't quite so, because by the end of the day, Stacy Walker had tried to flirt with Harry no fewer than 30 times. And, at the end of the work day, she cornered Harry and asked him out to dinner.

And Harry gave his normal response in a deadpan voice. This had become really, really old over the past ten years. "I'm sorry, I have to go pick up my daughter. Also, this is highly inappropriate, seeing as I'm your boss. Please read up on sexual harassment rules in the employee handbook by tomorrow."

Stacy looked visibly off-put, probably more by the fact that he had a daughter than the fact that he had been so condescending towards her. Harry might have felt guilty had this not been the five hundredth time this had happened to him.

Harry picked up Holly and they grabbed some take-out before heading home and eating together in the dining room.

"How was your day, Dad?" Holly asked before taking a bite out of her orange chicken.

Harry shrugged. "New intern. She was a bit of a...nuisance."

Holly was quiet for a few minutes. "Y'know dad, there's probably not much chance Mum's waking up anytime soon. I don't think she'd be that mad if you dated someone in the meantime."

Harry smiled sadly. She was supposed to be innocent and naive. She was supposed to believe that her mother was going to wake up on any given day. Why did she have to be so damn smart? Why did she have to be so much like Hermione?

"Even if she wouldn't mind, I would," he replied.

"But you haven't even gone on one single, solitary date like ever!" Holly replied. "It's just...I'm going back to Hogwarts in the fall. I don't want you to be lonely."

Harry sighed. "I'm not lonely, Holly. I have you during the summer and Ron, Lavender, and work for the rest of the time." Holly gave him a skeptical look. "Plus, I could never date someone who's unable to appreciate the fact that you are the most important person in my life, and most of the women who hit on me just don't get it."

Holly's lips thinned in disapproval. "That's understandable, but I want you to go on at least one date before the end of the summer."

"Holly..." Harry said warily.

"I'm serious, Dad," Holly replied. "Do it for me, please."

Harry sighed the sigh of defeat. How could he possibly say no to her? "Fine," he said. "I'll see what I can do." he smiled at her. "For you."

The next day passed like normal. Harry was pleasantly surprised when Stacy not only didn't say even a single word to him all day, but was dressed appropriately. Maybe she wasn't going to be as much of a ditzy pest as he had originally thought she was going to be.

After a highly productive day that left Harry in a great mood, he gathered his stuff and got ready to apparate, but was suddenly immobilized from a nonverbal spell. How had someone who wanted him dead gotten so deep into the Ministry of Magic? Was it a death eater in disguise? Was it someone else he had thrown into Azkaban over his career? What was going to happen to Holly?

All of this flashed through his mind in less than a second.

"What's going on here?" he managed to force out through his clenched teeth, in disbelief over the fact that he had let his guard down to this point. Surely this person had to have tripped his wards that sensed malicious intent.

In a undeniably magically-altered voice, the person who immobilized him said, "Be careful, because those you think are close may be farther than you can imagine."

The person apparated and Harry was freed of his binding. He took a moment to collect himself after the scare that had given him before reminding himself that he needed to be a lot more careful if he wanted to live to see Holly grow up to graduate Hogwarts. He was so caught up in thoughts about the need for care when by himself that he completely ignored what the person had said to him.

He apparated to Ron's to pick up Holly, surprised when Ron himself opened the door when he knocked. "Oh hey, what's up?" Harry asked. "Is Holly ready to go?"

"Yeah, she is," Ron said. "But I need to talk to you for a sec before I call her down here."

"Go ahead," Harry said. "I'm all ears."

Ron tentatively smiled at him, which made Harry apprehensive. He wasn't about to hear good news.

"Harry...I'm, well...I'm Holly's father."


	4. One Day in the Rain

**A/N: Wow, the feedback after last chapter was great and has really invigorated me in regards to writing this story. Angst isn't everyone's cup of tea, and all I have to say is despite anything: believe in love in all facets of life.**

**Also, the letters are just meant to be small flashbacks into the life of Harry as he raises Holly; they generally have nothing to do with the content of the chapter.**

**Also also, there is severe language in this chapter, so be warned.**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter 4 - One Day in the Rain**

_Hermione,_

_I miss you. Every day you stay in that coma is another day you aren't in my life._

_On a lighter note, Holly performed magic for the first time today. It was wonderful! She got her kite stuck in a tree and managed to get it down with what was undoubtedly a Wingardium Leviosa. I was just happening to watch her play outside at that exact moment and was ecstatic!_

_Can't wait for you to wake up so you can see how much your daughter has grown._

_Love,_

_Harry_

* * *

><p>Harry rubbed at his tired eyes as he stared at the documents laid out in front of him. He had long given up trying to find a flaw with them. They were legitimate documents. There was no doubting them. He had even gone to the doctor's office to verify that the doctor had done the paternity test that day. He let out a yawn and stretched, relaxing his head back as what had happened that day went through his head.<p>

* * *

><p>"Harry, did you hear me?" Ron asked him, shaking his shoulder with concern. Harry was completely frozen in shock. "I said I'm Holly's father. I had a test done today."<p>

"I...you...how?" Harry asked in disbelief. He didn't even know what to feel, only that he could feel himself breaking for some reason. "You said...you said under the power of veritaserum..."

"I know I said she wasn't my daughter when I was under the power of veritaserum, Harry," Ron said. "That's because I truly thought it was impossible for me to be her father when you questioned me back then. Hermione and I hadn't been...intimate for a couple months before the earliest possible time Holly could have been conceived."

"I don't get it," Harry replied. "If what you say is true, then how are you Holly's father? The math doesn't even add up."

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, mate. Hermione may have carried Holly for longer than nine months, maybe."

Harry grabbed Ron's shoulders with a look that was approaching the deep ends of mad written all over his face. "There's no other time, closer to the time of Holly's conception, that you two could've done it?"

Ron grabbed his head, thinking hard. "It's so long ago, Harry..."

Harry shook Ron harder, saying in a near-desperate voice, "Think, Ron. Think as if your life depends on it."

Ron thought harder for a moment. "Maybe...maybe that one night where we all got really hammered celebrating someone's birthday. Remember? We all went down to Seamus's pub. I don't think anyone really remembers anything from that night, we were all so drunk. If Hermione and I had sex that night, the math adds up."

Harry took this in silence, his thoughts racing furiously. "Do you have the papers?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ron said. "Let me go get them."

When Ron left, Harry pulled at his hair, the worst feeling he had ever felt in the pit of his stomach hitting him full force. This felt worse than when Harry had gotten the news that Hermione had gone into a coma. He had always been afraid, deep in his mind, that he would one day discover the true identity of Holly's birth father. For some reason, it was made ten times worse by the fact that it was Ron. It felt like some sort of betrayal that Ron had fathered the only good thing Harry had in his life.

For some reason, all along, he had had this hope against all hopes that Holly was somehow his daughter and they'd live in blissful ignorance of the truth for the rest of their lives. He had raised Holly after all. How could anybody else claim to be her father at this point?

"Harry, I got 'em," came Ron's call from inside the house, giving Harry enough time to compose himself before Ron saw him.

He handed the papers to Harry, who snatched them from his hands before reading them as quickly as he could. He took his wand out and used every curse or spell revealer he could, hoping all the while that Ron was going to laugh and yell, "Just kidding!" like this was all a giant, horrible, gut-wrenching joke.

"Why?" Harry asked, though he didn't know what the rest of that question was. Maybe it was 'why everything?' or 'why now?'

"What?" Ron asked, looking even more concerned.

Harry shook his head quickly, and, turning his inner auror on, asked, "Why now, of all times? Why would you wait until now to do the paternity test?"

Ron shrugged. "Well, after the veritaserum test which was done, you know, to avoid any needles going into me, I thought there was no chance of Holly being my daughter. After all, how could I have said that she wasn't my daughter unless I absolutely knew for sure?" Ron licked his lips and looked at Harry's face to make sure he was following before continuing. "But this nagging suspicion hit me about a month before Holly left for Hogwarts last year. There was just something about Holly, as she was growing, that reminded me of Ginny growing up. It was really subtle, but it eventually got through to me. Then, today, I had Lav brew me a potion that would help me with my fear of needles and took Holly to the doctor's office with me."

Harry shoved Ron away and yelled, "Why the hell now? I asked you 9 years ago if I could brew you that potion and you opted for veritaserum! Why now?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't know what else to say, Harry. We thought the veritaserum was a perfectly viable alternative, remember?"

Harry clenched his fists in anger, more at the fact that Ron was right than anything. Why hadn't he just forced him to take the paternity test right away?

"I didn't ask for this, mate," Ron said solemnly. "I'm sorry."

Harry sighed deep and long, still racking his brain for a way out of this. There was no way Ron was father. "I don't know what to say, Ron."

Ron swallowed hard, looking slightly ashamed of himself before finally saying, "I think we should discuss what happens next?"

Harry looked at him, confused. "What do you mean, what happens next?"

Ron shrugged. "I mean, when and how do we tell Holly? Also, what kind of rights do I have when it comes to her? She's my daughter, after all."

Those words were another punch in the gut. "I don't know, Ron. This is all so much at once."

Ron put a supporting hand on Harry's shoulder. "Lav and I discussed a lot when I got home and I want to share some of it with you." After Harry didn't respond, he said, "We think it would be a good idea if we could be a part of Holly's life."

Harry looked at him in disbelief. "You guys already are a part of her life. She spends all day at your house three times a week and we have dinner once a week."

Ron shook his head solemnly. "Not like that, Harry. Lav and I...we want a more parental role in Holly's life. We don't think it's in her best interests to be raised by a single dad, especially one who shares no blood with her."

This time Harry really did shove Ron away from him. "What the fuck do you mean by that, Ron? I've raised her perfectly fine by myself this whole time, no thanks to you or anybody else who's doubted me this whole time. And Lavender isn't even her mother, so it wouldn't be any different of a situation."

Ron looked at Harry disapprovingly before saying, "It would be a completely different situation, actually. She would have a female role model at home and her real dad there to guide her. She would be part of a family."

"Female role model?" Harry said in disgust. "A trophy wife who sits at home all day reading shitty gossip magazines is hardly role model material. Holly belongs with me."

Ron raised his wand at Harry threateningly, and Harry responded in kind. "Don't you dare badmouth my wife," Ron said dangerously. "Holly belongs where her family is, which certainly isn't with you."

"Give me my daughter so I can go home, Ron," Harry said just as dangerously. "Holly belongs with the person who has raised her and loved her this whole time. Fuck your family."

Ron slowly lowered his wand, his face a brilliant shade of red. "Fuck you, Harry. Take Holly back with you. You'll get a summons for court soon."

Harry didn't say anything, but internally he was ready to kill Ron here and now. His best friend was going to take him to court over the one source of happiness in his life? He brushed past Ron, went to Holly, who happily greeted him, and grabbed her hand and apparated them back home.

* * *

><p>Harry groaned as he thought of Holly. She could tell something was bothering him as they went through their normal nightly routine, and had pestered him about it more than once throughout the night. Harry had refused to answer anything though, deciding he needed at least one night to process everything that had happened before determining the best way to tell her tomorrow.<p>

His heart heavy, Harry dragged himself up to bed, where he stayed up all night staring at the ceiling, thinking.

* * *

><p>"Dad? Dad!" Holly called, pulling Harry out of his half-slumber at the breakfast table.<p>

"Yeah, Holls?" Harry asked, rubbing at his eyes. Staying up all night hadn't been the best idea, no matter how well it had helped organize his thoughts.

"Will you just tell me what's wrong? I heard you yelling at Uncle Ron yesterday. Does it have to do with that?" she asked.

Harry internally cursed Hermione. Leave it up to her to give birth to a daughter who always managed to surprise him with how perceptive she was. Harry had gone over hundreds of scenarios the previous night, but this wasn't one of them. He figured, though, that the sooner she knew, the more likely it would be that: 1. She heard the news from him, and 2: He could assess her reaction for as long as possible and figure out what she wanted. After all, more than anything, it was Holly's happiness and wellbeing that Harry cared about more than anything.

"You know how you were wondering who your birth father is?" Harry asked softly.

Holly's eyes went wide. "Dad...I...I don't really care about that," she said defiantly. She knew by the tone of his voice that she was about to learn who her birth father was. Tears in her eyes, she said, "I don't want to know, Dad. I just want you to be my dad so we can have more fun."

Harry's throat started burning and everything in his sight but Holly blurred from tears. "Uncle Ron is your father, Holly. That's why you guys went to the doctor's office yesterday."

Holly suddenly stood up and angrily said, "That's not true, Dad. You're my Dad. I don't care what anybody says."

"Holly..." Harry said sadly.

"You were supposed to be my dad, Dad," Holly said, tears running down her face. "Mum was supposed to wake up and tell us that you were my dad, then you guys were supposed to get married and be my parents. This isn't fair."

Harry smiled at her softly, realizing he needed to be tough for her sake. "This is life, Holly. Things don't always go the way we want them to. It's up to us to make the best of what we're given." He held her shoulders, looked her in the eyes seriously, and said, "You know I'll never stop being your Dad. You can always talk to me about anything, and I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"

Holly nodded, then took a step forward and hugged him tightly, clutching at the back of his shirt as if he might disappear. Harry hugged her back, feeling slightly calmer about the whole thing. He was Holly's father. He didn't care what any piece of paper from a doctor said; he hadn't cared all along. That was why he had raised Holly all this time.

A knock on the door interrupted the moment the two were sharing, and Harry sighed before detaching himself from Holly and answering the door. A man in a suit was standing in his doorway, and he asked, "Are you Harry James Potter of 12 Grimmauld Place?"

Harry blinked, surprised. This man was certainly a straight to the point kind of guy. "Yes. Yes I am," Harry replied.

The man handed him a piece of paper and said, "This is a court summons from the Department of Justice of the Ministry of Magic. You are expected to appear in court in three days regarding the custody of one Holly Lily Granger."

The man apparated away before Harry had the chance to say anything in response, so he was left standing dumbfounded at the door, his thoughts racing. How had Ron gotten a court date set up so quickly? Usually the court was booked at least a month out. How likely was it that there just happened to be a slot available three days from now? What the hell was going on?

He numbly walked back into his house, staring at the notice of appearance, wondering how he was going to get through this. Voldemort had nothing in comparison to the fear inspired in him at losing access to his daughter, no matter how unlikely that was.

* * *

><p>Over the next three days, Harry did his best to come up with reasons why he should retain custody of Holly. This process helped a lot in cheering him up, as he realized that he should have sympathy on his side. There was no way the court should side with Ron. There was no way the court would take a daughter from her father and vice versa.<p>

When the court day came, Harry arrived nervous but optimistic, everything he needed in a briefcase he was carrying with him. He was bolstered by the fact that lawyers were not allowed in this process, which made things a lot less calculated and a lot more emotional. He was sure he could win this case with the knowledge of the law he had compared to Ron, who hadn't taken Wizarding Law in their 7th year at Hogwarts like he and Hermione had.

Harry stepped into the courtroom the proceedings would go on in, and wasn't surprised to see a judge and eleven lesser wizengamot wizards and witches sitting in as the jury. This was normal for a case like this, and it was the judge's duty to provide a fair case for both parties while a majority vote from the jury decided the outcome of the case.

Most of the jury was older, which lifted Harry's spirits even more. These witches and wizards were more likely to have children of their own, which would hopefully make them more partial to his case.

Ron was seated on one side of the room studiously ignoring Harry, so Harry took a seat in the only other chair in the room, which was on the opposite side of the room from Ron's.

The judge took a moment to read the papers in front of him, then looked at the two of them and said, "The case regarding the custody of Holly Lily Granger, born of Hermione Jean Granger and Ronald Bilius Weasley, is now open. Harry James Potter will present his opening statement first."

He gestured to Harry, who cleared his throat and stood up, facing the jury.

"Standing here right now, trying to prove that it's beneficial for Holly to live with me rather than...Mr. Weasley is the scariest thing I've ever had to do," he began. "I've raised Holly ever since she was three years old, when her mother was almost killed and, as a result, remains in a coma. I've been Holly's dad; raising her, taking care of her, loving her, and being there for her all along. This has formed a bond between Holly and I that is far stronger than any bond she shares with anybody else, and truly sees me as he father, since that is who I am. I am willing to do anything to retain custody of her."

Harry sat down, his heart racing. So far so good.

Ron then stood up and said, "Life works in mysterious ways. While I've always felt there was something that was missing from my life, I would have never guessed that it was because I had another daughter. It hurts me beyond belief that I've gone all this time without knowing my child was right in front of me all along, being raised by a man who wasn't me. While I'm grateful to Harry for everything he's done for my daughter, it's time to bring her back to where she belongs. My wife and I are fully equipped to bring Holly into our home, and will provide with everything Harry did and more; specifically a mother to help raise her. My mother was the single-most influential person in my life, and I believe it is unfair and selfish for Harry to try to keep her from having a proper family while growing up."

Ron then sat down, a sad, imploring look on his face. Harry felt anger growing in the pit of his stomach. Ron was really doing everything he could to steal Holly from him.

"Do you have anything to say about Mr. Weasley's accusations, Mr. Potter?" the judge asked Harry.

"I think it's unrealistic to believe that having a mother in a home with her for the three months of the year she's not in school is going to affect her in any way, especially when this so-called 'mother' is not, in fact, her mother," Harry said. He had most certainly prepared for this situation. "Instead of being raised in a 'proper family,' I think the focus should instead be shifted to the fact that Mr. Weasley didn't care about Holly enough to get a paternity test done until she was twelve years old."

Ron took a moment to collect himself, wiping invisible tears out of his eyes as he did so. "If I had known there was any chance of Holly being my daughter, I would have had a test done long ago. Harry convinced me that veritaserum would be enough to prove she wasn't my daughter, so I went along with it. I realize now that it was probably some sort of trick by him to steal my own daughter from me since he was really lonely at that time."

At this, the jury raised their eyebrows at Harry, who felt disbelief course through him. How dare Ron say such a thing?

Ron continued, saying, "Not only that, but think about the effect the war has had on Harry. Do you really think he's fit to raise a daughter when he has the burdens of his past constantly on his mind? He faced death many times and has come out the other side nearly unscathed physically, but what has to be thought of is how it has damaged him emotionally."

Harry, outraged, shot back, "And how is this any different than what you went through? You and I both did everything together in regards to the war, so it's no different for you."

The jury looked at Ron expectantly at this. "I've moved on from all of that. You're still focused on Death Eaters and living in the past. How is that healthy for you or for my daughter?"

Harry felt Holly slipping from his grasp, and he didn't know what to do. But he certainly had to say something. "I'm trying to make this world safer or her, and everyone else, to live in. How is that unhealthy in any way?"

Ron shook his head, saying "Harry, Harry, Harry," condescendingly. "Why don't you just focus on what you really want to do and are good at, namely hunting Death Eaters, and leave raising my daughter to me? You are raising her in an unsafe environment."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, but the judge banged his gavel, silencing him. "I think we've heard enough," the judge said.

"But, sir-" Harry said, intending to tell him that he still had much more to say.

"I propose," the judge said, cutting him off, "that given the evidence presented, the Mr. Weasley takes custody of Ms. Granger, with Mr. Potter being allowed one visit per week for a period of twelve hours. All of those in the jury in agreement, please raise your hands."

Every single jury member raised their hands, and the judge banged his gavel again as disbelief coursed through Harry. "The two of you will arrange Mr. Potter's visitation rights. If there are any problems, please come see me in my office when I'm available.," He banged his gavel once more before saying, "Dismissed."

Harry was left sitting there in disbelief as the jury and judge left, leaving him and Ron alone. There was no way they were taking Holly from him; this couldn't be happening! She was his daughter, no matter what anybody else said!

Ron came up to him, smirked and condescendingly said, "Just another thing I'll be taking from you, Harry. Since it's court order, I guess you have visitation rights. If you come visit her though, I'll make the days she's not with you a living hell. I'm her parent after all, so I can pretty much do what I want outside of physically harming her."

He was going to what?! Harry jumped up and got ready to beat the shit out of Ron right then and there, but his former friend merely apparated, leaving Harry to swing at nothing.

Harry stood in disbelief, looking at the spot Ron had apparated from. Why would he mistreat Holly? Wasn't he doing this because he wanted the daughter that he was blood-related to? Could this have all been about something other than that? Had Harry really lost the one thing he cared the most about in this world to someone who couldn't be bothered about her?

Thinking furiously, Harry quickly apparated home so he could talk to Holly about what was going to happen and what to do in the case of a possible emergency.

"Holly!" he called, running up to her room and flinging open the door, out of breath.

He dropped to his knees when he saw it was bare, stripped of everything that had proved that the room was Holly Granger's. Even her bed was gone. It was as if nobody had ever lived there.

How could she just be gone like that? How, after eight years of all the love and affection the two of them have shared, after all the two of them had been through, could she be gone before he even had the chance to say goodbye?

This wasn't fair. This was his daughter. He had raised her. He had loved her with every fiber of his being. And she was just...gone.

Harry cried. He sank even further against the ground and clutched at it, crying with everything he had. His sweet, beautiful daughter wouldn't be living with him anymore, and he knew she must have been hurting just as much as he was. She must have been so confused when Ron showed up and took her away with everything she owned. She was probably still confused, and probably felt betrayed by Harry that he hadn't said anything to her before this had happened.

After a very long while, Harry finally stood up, eyes bloodshot from crying, and apparated to St. Mungo's. He never thought he would be doing this, since he had always thought that there was no way he could let Hermione down when it came to Holly. But now it had come to this. He had to tell her. He had to explain to her that he had failed.

He walked past the guard, who paid him no mind even though it was well beyond visiting hours. He marched right into Hermione's room and sat down next to her heavily, grabbing her hand with his. Even though he was here to tell her he had lost her daughter to Ron, it felt good that she was also here to comfort him. It was the only time Harry was glad she was in a coma. He would have never been able to do this if she was awake.

"Hermione, I..."

His throat was dry. He licked his lips and swallowed a couple times, then continued. "Hermione, I let you down today. I...I completely failed." He had thought that the more he talked, the easier it would get. He was wrong. "You told me to love Holly and take care of her as if she was my own daughter, and I did really, really well for eight years. I saw her grow and mature and have loved her as my daughter each and every step of the way. But now she's gone, and I don't know what to do about it. I'm too afraid for Holly's safety to do anything about it legally, since that'll give Ron plenty of time to emotionally traumatize her. I don't know what to do." Tears were in his eyes as he pressed his forehead against the back of Hermione's hand. "I need you. I need you, Hermione. I don't know what to do."

He broke down in tears again, and felt warmth in his heart when Hermione squeezed his hand comfortingly. Just like old times. She was always there for him.

Wait...

Harry's head shot up as he looked at Hermione, her hand still applying pressure to his.

"H...H...Hermione?"

Staring back at him with every ounce of keenness that Harry was accustomed to were a pair of beautiful brown eyes.

**A/N: This story was never planned to be extraordinarily long, so it'll probably be wrapping up in the next two or three chapters. Thank you all so much for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!**


	5. One Day in an Imperfect Dream

**A/N: Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! I'm glad you're all finding this story as fun to read as it has been to write!**

**Chapter 5 - One Day in an Imperfect Dream**

_Hermione,_

_I miss you. Holly's getting ready to leave for Hogwarts right now and I'm scared out of my mind. Not for Holly, no. She's a perfect young girl and is eager to get going with her life. She'll be fine. What I'm worried about is far more selfish._

_I have no idea how I'm going to get through this next year. And then it has to happen six more times! I know I'm going to be lonely without Holly here, but I'm going to do my best to stay healthy and happy for her sake so we can spend all of next summer together._

_Hopefully you'll wake up soon, or you're going to miss all of Holly's growing up._

_Love,_

_Harry_

* * *

><p>"Ha...Ha..." Hermione gasped, clutching at his hand with surprising strength.<p>

Harry was in shock as Hermione's eyes stayed locked on his. What was happening? Was this real?

"Harry..." she said, her breathing incredibly shallow.

It was when Hermione's eyes began to roll that Harry finally pushed the button to call the nurse, who came rushing in less than 20 seconds later. Her eyes widened upon seeing Hermione, and she sent a quick patronus out before beginning to frantically work on Hermione, casting spells dizzyingly quickly, completely oblivious to Harry.

Harry stood there waiting, not moving an inch when a healer rushed past him and began performing spells on Hermione as well. Hermione made sounds of pain more than once while Harry stood there nervously for what seemed to be forever. She was going to be okay, right? There was no way she was going to wake up and the shock would be so much for her body that she died, right?

Harry's worst fears were running through his head the entire time the healers worked on her, berating himself for not calling the healers as soon as he had seen her eyes open. If she died right here, he would never be able to live with the guilt of being responsible for her death.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, the spell chanting stopped and all sounds of struggle from Hermione likewise stopped, and the healer turned to Harry while the nurse continued to silently tend to Hermione.

"Could you please join me outside in the hallway, Mr. Potter?" he asked, ushering Harry out before he could answer the kind-looking middle-aged man.

"Is she going to be okay?" Harry asked desperately as soon as the door to Hermione's room was closed.

"Well...not completely," the Healer confessed, meeting Harry's eyes seriously and solemnly. "While she was in the coma, Ms. Granger's magical core was in the process of completely rebuilding itself, taking a lot of brain power and life force to do so, which is obviously why she's been in the coma for so long. Upon waking up, the core required a large burst of power to completely finish building itself, and while Ms. Granger will undoubtedly survive, we don't know for sure what the effects are going to be. The most common case in instances like these would be memory loss."

That one hit Harry pretty hard, but not as hard as the news could have been. As long as she was alive, there was a way for him and her to find happiness. But he still needed to know..."What exactly do you mean by that?"

The Healer looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Well, I would say there's probably a ninety percent chance that she will be suffering from memory loss. As to how much memory loss..." the Healer paused for a moment, thinking. "She's probably lost most of her memory for anywhere from a few months before the incident that caused the memory loss to a few years before that moment."

Harry swallowed hard. Why had he always thought that as soon as she woke up, everything would be perfect again? It was never that easy.

A thought hit him, and he said, "Will she remember me if we met when she was eleven?"

"There is a very very small chance that she wouldn't remember you, Mr. Potter," the healer replied. "At most, she's probably missing three or four years of memories prior to the incident."

"And is it possible to get those memories back?" Harry asked.

"Well, that depends on each person," the healer replied. "Sometimes yes, sometimes no." He then looked down at his chart and said, "You are Ms. Granger's emergency contact, so I'll be releasing her to you. Make sure to help her when she needs to walk; she'll be incredibly weak for the next couple weeks, and try to use triggers to help her get back her memories."

"Triggers?" Harry asked, having never heard the term in regards to memories before.

"Anything that is significant in her memories in the time that she doesn't remember. If her memories are still in there, they'll be in a part of her brain that is...locked, for lack of a better term. If you manage to get her to remember even one of the more significant memories, the rest should come flooding out with it and she'll hopefully remember everything that happened to her up until she went into the coma."

Harry nodded, wondering how in the hell he was going to do that. Well, the first would be to figure out where her memories left off, if she was suffering from memory loss.

"Okay. Thank you very much, healer," Harry said, and the healer nodded once before walking back down the hall.

When Harry re-entered Hermione's room, the nurse was already gone and Hermione was staring up at the ceiling, brow furrowed.

"Hey, Hermione," Harry said lamely, tentatively standing just inside the doorway.

Hermione looked over at him as she slowly sat up with a lot of effort. She nervously, weakly said, "H...Harry?"

Harry smiled warmly at her, relief flooding through him. She had said his name when she had woken up, so he was pretty sure she would remember him, and the fact that she could recognize him probably meant she didn't have too much memory loss, if any at all.

"Yeah, it's me," Harry replied, finally walking into the room and sitting down in the chair next to her bed.

Hermione raised a shaky arm and touched his face as if checking that he was real, then dropped her arm and asked, "Why do you look so old?"

Tears pricked Harry's eyes, and he laughed weakly and said, "Now that's not a very nice thing to ask, is it?"

"Harry what's going on?" she asked, hardly paying attention to his jibe. "The last thing I remember is you defeating Voldemort, and then..."

"Hermione, you-" Harry started, his gut plummeting at her words. So the last thing she remembered had happened nearly fourteen years ago.

"Did I get hit with a spell that sent me to the future?" she asked, seeming to gain energy as she really began thinking. "Then why did I wake up in a bed in St. Mungo's?"

She looked expectantly at Harry, who was finding it hard to get the words out. "Hermione, you...well, you've been in a coma for nine years," he said solemnly, putting a comforting hand on hers.

She blinked at Harry a few times, then let out a weird, strangled chuckle. "That doesn't make any sense, Harry. You're saying I'm twenty-eight years old? That's absurd."

Harry swallowed hard. "You're turning thirty-two in a few months, actually," he said sadly. "You seem to be missing the last three years of memories before the moment you ended up in the coma."

"How did I 'end up' in a coma?" Hermione asked, taking this surprisingly better than Harry expected.

"Well..." Harry started, and proceeded to tell her everything that he knew happened up until the point she was put into the coma.

"I have a daughter...with Ron?" Hermione asked, looking really confused. "What the hell happened in three years that I would develop strong enough feelings for him for me to even consider procreating with him?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. But it happened," he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"And where is my daughter, Harry? Where's...Holly?" she asked.

And the story grew even harder to tell as he had to explain to her about what had happened just earlier this day. Hermione listened with a slight frown on her face, then said, "Hey Harry, at least it's Ron. He's our friend. I'm sure he has Holly's best interests at heart." Then she grimaced. "I can't believe I have a daughter with...with Ron."

"Well, you guys were together for a few years," Harry said, fighting off the slight discomfort he was feeling for Hermione's sake. Also, any knowledge he gave her about herself might bring her lost memories back to her, as well.

"Hmmm," Hermione said. "For some reason that just doesn't...feel right. I don't know what it is."

Harry shrugged. "Hopefully we can get to the bottom of everything pretty quickly so Holly can be a part of everybody's lives again as soon as possible. You ready to head home?"

"Where's home?" Hermione asked as she weakly pushed her blankets off of her. "And where's my wand?"

Harry helped her stand up, worry gnawing at him as he noticed how weak and gaunt she was. It was going to be awhile before she was going to be anywhere near healthy. "I've had a room ready for you to move into at my house since the day you went into the coma, Hermione, and all of your personal belongings are there too."

Hermione smiled at him and said, "Thank you, Harry. What would I ever do without you?"

Harry didn't answer, and only hoped that she would never have to know the answer to that question, since he had been experiencing the answer for the last twelve years. He quickly pushed those thoughts aside, though, instead trying to focus on the fact that Hermione was awake and right next to him right now. There was no feeling that could possibly be greater than that at that moment.

He apparated them back to his place straight to the guest room Harry had really had prepared for her all along, then stepped outside so she could change out of the hospital gown she was in and into some of her old clothes, which he hoped still fit her.

Hermione opened the door a couple minutes later and stepped out into the upstairs hallway, sweat beading on her forehead and her face scrunched up in pain.

Harry rushed to her side right as she collapsed against him, holding him in an attempt to stay standing. "Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked as calmly as he could given the situation.

She chuckled weakly. "I, er...I don't think my legs can take the strain of standing anymore for now. Should have gotten a wheelchair from St. Mungo's."

Harry picked her up with no complaints and said, "I've done research on this for years, Hermione." He carried her downstairs to the couch and set her down on it before looking at her seriously and saying, "At least once a week when I visited you, I would cast a few spells on you to keep your muscles relatively strong. Of course there's no substitute for the real thing, but it was better than nothing. This muscular atrophy effect from waking from the coma should be gone in a few hours once your body has recovered a little energy from your original awakening, then your muscles should be about the level they were before you went into the coma in a few weeks at most with a little rigorous physical training, as compared to several years if we didn't have access to magic." Hermione looked really surprised, then added in a rush, "I'm sorry I did it without your permission, but I thought it would be for the best."

"Not at all," Hermione said, sinking back into the couch. "I'm really grateful for it and actually really impressed that you did enough research to invent a spell like that. I was wondering why I was even able to stand at all upon waking." They were silent for a moment until Hermione said, "You know, Harry...I'm really lucky to have a friend like you."

Harry blinked, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked. "I did what any friend would have done."

Hermione shook her head and let her eyes close. "I take it by everything you said that Ron didn't have anything to do with helping keeping my body healthy at all. In fact, I bet he hardly visited."

Harry knew for a fact that what she was saying was true, but said, "I'm sure he visited you often. He was absolutely devastated when you went missing twelve years ago."  
>"Harry, I can tell when you're lying," Hermione said, though she didn't sound angry at all. "I know you were there for me in ways he never was; it's been that way all along." She let that statement sink in, and Harry relished in the fact that she was praising him before she said, "And it's that reason that Ron's not Holly's father."<p>

"Hermione..." Harry said. "Ron has actual, physical proof that he's Holly's father."

Hermione shook her head. "There's no way."

"A lot can change in three years, Hermione," Harry said. "Eighteen-year-old you may not have thought it was possible, but a lot of change can happen in three years, and especially around that age."

"He's not the father," Hermione said stubbornly.

Harry, exasperated, said, "And what makes you so sure of that?"

Hermione opened her eyes to look at him and smile. "I can just feel it, Harry. Call it a mother's intuition."

Harry shook his head, deciding to drop the topic. "Anyway, how are you taking all of this so well? I mean, nine years of your life are just...gone. Twelve counting the three years of memories you're missing."

Hermione shrugged nonchalantly, which Harry couldn't help but feel was oddly fitting given her attitude at the moment, but overall very non-Hermione-like. "I think it's because I've lost twelve years that I've taken it so well. Though we do get a bit more longevity with our lives because of our magical blood, life is still too short to waste crying over spilled milk. I kind of have to make the most with what I have left to make up for those twelve years. What's the point of losing more time? I have you and I have what I can only assume is a beautiful daughter just waiting to meet me again and spend time with me. How can I possibly be sad?"

Harry couldn't deny the logic in that, and could only marvel at how strong Hermione was to be able to deal with something like this the way she was. "Well, if you're living it up, what can I do for you at this moment that will get life back to rolling again?"

Hermione thought about it for a moment, then said, "Well, what I really want right now is a homemade meal. Something delicious, with mashed potatoes and garlic-drenched broccoli." She smiled teasingly at him. "As long as you don't mind cooking."

Harry laughed a little more than the situation normally would've permitted, but the fact that she was alive, awake, and sitting in front of him talking to him was finally hitting him hard. He happily walked into the kitchen and began cooking, knowing exactly what he was doing. He was especially happy given the fact that there was no way Hermione would know that this was her favorite meal of his unless she still had those memories somewhere deep inside of her. He hadn't cooked this meal for her and Ron until a couple months after they had defeated Voldemort and graduated Hogwarts.

When he was done, he brought it out to her and set up on the coffee table in front of her before taking a seat next to her on the sofa in case she needed help eating. She seemed to be okay with the fork, though, even if she was a tad shaky with it.

"It's so good, Harry," Hermione said. "You're going to have to make this for me more for sure."

"Of course," Harry replied happily.

After a couple of minutes of silence while the two ate, Harry filled Hermione in on everything that had happened since the coma, including all of Holly's big firsts and what she was like. Then it hit him. "That's right! I should tell everyone you're awake. Especially Ron, so Holly can come see you tonight."

He grabbed his wand, to which Hermione lightly put her hand on his wrist, stopping him from casting his patronus. "Harry, not today," she said. "Please. As well as I'm taking this, I think I need to adjust to the fact that I'm the mother of a soon-to-be second year before I meet her. Let's just stay here tonight, you and me, and watch some telly or something."

She looked up at him pleadingly, leaving him no choice but to give in. At the same time, his gut was tugging him towards seeing his daughter. It had been too long since he had seen her. Sure he had gone longer without seeing her in a given stretch before, but the difference this time was that she wasn't going to be sleeping in her bed upstairs in the same house as him tonight. She was gone for now, and as much as he loved Hermione, it left an extremely bad taste in his mouth.

Harry turned on the T.V. and was a little surprised when Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, Harry. She's my daughter. She can get through the night because she knows you'll be getting her back where she belongs in no time."

Harry was a little confused at this statement, but decided to not say anything. He never knew Hermione had held such a negative opinion of Ron for her to decide, after not knowing anything about the past twelve years, that the right place for Holly to be was with Harry.

"I really can't wait to meet her," Hermione said tiredly, wrapping an arm around Harry's midsection to get more comfortable against him.

Harry knew he'd wake up sore from sleeping sitting up after tonight, but Hermione seemed to be settling in for the night and he didn't have it in him to say no, so he let Hermione's warmth against him lull him to sleep.

He was able to sleep soundly because, with Hermione with him, he knew they'd have no problem getting access to Holly the next day.

**A/N: While this chapter was necessary, not a lot happened in it, which made it a little harder to write (not to mention the releases of Pokemon and Battlefield 4 :p ). The next chap should be out much quicker than this one, because writing about Hermione and Harry kicking some butt together is always fun!**

**Thanks for reading! If you have a moment, please feel free to leave a review as well!**


	6. Not My Daughter, You Bastard!

**A/N: Big thanks to my pal JT for helping me out with this chapter!**

**Chapter 6 - Not My Daughter, You Bastard!**

_Hermione,_

_I miss you. I miss Holly. She's away at school now and I confess I'm more that slightly lonely. I wish Hedwig were here. Fawkes is just a little too distant. There's nothing left for me but to bury myself in work, I guess. It's kind of weird and perverse for me to call a job like this a comfort, but I guess that's what it is. Anyway, I really miss you and I really, really love you._

_Harry_

* * *

><p>Harry woke up stiff and with a cricked neck, but he could only pay attention to the wonderful smell filling his house.<p>

"Oh, you're up, Harry. Good." She had an apron on and was half-standing in the kitchen. "I just finished making breakfast."

Harry stood up and stretched before heading to the kitchen with her and, noticing how perfectly the eggs were scrambled, saying, "You shouldn't know how to cook so well yet."

Hermione shrugged. "Muscle memory? I'm surprised too."

Now sitting at the table and eating, Harry said, "Well, whatever it is, it's amazing."

Hermione smiled at him and said, "Now, before we go see Holly, I want to talk to you about a few things." Hermione waited for Harry to show his assent before continuing. "First off is where I'm going to live. I don't want to impose for too long."

"You're not imposing, Hermione," Harry replied nonchalantly. "All modesty aside, I have more rooms and money than I know what to do with."

"Thank you for your kindness Harry, but I don't think that'll work. What if what happened with Cho Chang happens with the girl you're seeing?"

Now Harry was confused. "Girl I'm seeing? I'm not seeing anyone. What would make you think that?"

Hermione blushed a little. "Well I don't know. I just assumed, since you're Harry Potter and all. How are you not going out with someone right now?"

Harry felt slightly uncomfortable, but at the same time the situation was kind of funny. He had had this same conversation with Holly only a couple days ago.

He didn't feel comfortable lying to Hermione either, so he said, "Well, I don't really need anybody. I have Holly to keep me company, and I'd rather devote all of my attention to her rather than splitting it with some random woman."

Hermione slowly shook her head. "Here I was, impressed and in awe over how much you had grown up and matured. It was like going to sleep, only to wake up to find someone completely different in your place. It was actually pretty scary." Then she smiled and said, "I'm glad at least part of you is still the same."

They remained comfortably silent for a few moments, then Hermione said, "What if I don't live up to Holly's expectations, Harry? She's expecting a mother, but I'm just an eighteen-year-old girl. I'm scared."

Harry met her eyes seriously and said, "If I could suddenly be a father at twenty-one, you will have absolutely no problem being a mother with the mentality of your eighteen-year-old self. You're an amazing human being and will be an amazing mother. I promise."

Hermione dwelled on this for awhile, her face showing that she didn't completely believe what he was saying. "What happens when we get Holly back from Ron?"

Harry was confused. "What do you mean? You guys will probably get joint custody, since he's the father and all."

Hermione shook her head at that. "Ron isn't the father, Harry," she reiterated diligently.

Harry sighed. He had clearly seen the evidence himself.

Hermione frowned as she thought for a moment. "I...I don't know. But Ron. Is. Not. The. Father." She paused to see if he would contest her, and when he didn't, she said, "No matter who the father is, you're her dad, Harry. You will absolutely need to be a part of her life. Merlin, this is a weird situation," she added, sounding stressed.

Harry knew it was too early to bring this up and felt slightly bad for potentially taking advantage of a Hermione who had a young mind, but he couldn't pass up this opportunity. "Hermione...what if you and I raised her together?"

Hermione frowned, then shook her head.

"I don't think that's the healthiest thing to do for Holly's sake," Hermione replied thoughtfully. "She needs to be led by a good example, and I don't think two people who don't have romantic feelings for each other should raise a child together."

Harry felt crushed at the fact that Hermione didn't have any feelings for him, even though he had already known that was the case. He cleared his throat to buy himself a second, then asked, "So then what?"

Hermione thought about it for awhile longer, then said, "I don't think this is something that should be decided without Holly present."

Harry nodded in agreement. "Her feelings need to be taken into consideration."

Hermione nodded as well, eyes blazing, and said, "Then let's go get her."

They discussed their game plan for a while in terms of dealing with Ron, made sure they had everything they needed, then Harry grabbed Hermione and apparated both of the to the Weasley household.

Harry knocked on Ron's door, and checked that Hermione was covered by his invisibility cloak. The whole plan hinged on scaring Ron badly enough to force his hand...if Hermione was right about Ron not actually being Holly's father, which Harry hoped against all hope that she was.

"What do you want?" Ron asked nastily upon opening the door. "I already told you what would happen to Holly if you came around here."

Harry, despite the anger roaring in his chest, smiled placidly. "You aren't going to touch Holly. In fact, I'm here to make sure you don't touch anyone for a long while."

Ron let out a sound of contempt. "Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that?"

Harry, the smile still on his face, innocently said, "By arresting you, of course."

Ron's look of disgust faltered for just a moment, and he said, "What could I have possibly done to warrant my arrest?"

Harry cleared his throat as he pretended to think about it. "Oh I don't know...forging official documents and lying under oath?"

Now Ron had a smug grin on his face. "Oh yeah? And where's your proof?"

Harry, still smiling even now, stepped to the side to reveal...nothing. Ron looked confused for a moment, then looked horrified when Hermione pulled the cloak off of herself.

"H-H-Hermione?" Ron choked out in a squeaky voice. If that wasn't a voice that exuded guilt, Harry didn't know what was.

"Yes, Ronald, it's me," Hermione said, anger burning in her voice and eyes. "And I know what you've done."

Ron almost looked like he was about to crack, but said, "I really don't know what you're talking about I've just been trying to look out for our daughter."

Now it was Harry's turn again. Plan A hadn't worked as planned, so it was time for Plan B. While Hermione glared holes into Ron's skull, Harry said, "Hermione told me about everything. Her story not matching yours and you being the suspected criminal, this gives me the right as Head of Auror Office to determine the truth. Should you put up any resistance, you'll be arrested for impeding an official investigation...and we'll get the truth out of you anyway. Do you understand?"

Ron swallowed hard and nodded, looking fidgety, and Harry whipped out his wand and cried, "Legilimens!"

Harry gritted his teeth as his mind slammed through Ron's mental barriers. Diagon Alley, Hugo, and Lavender were the first things things Harry experienced, then a flaming hot wave of hate slammed into him and he recoiled as he saw people running, blood, and Holly and heard screams, cries and shouts.

Then Harry was under the big oak tree by the lake at Hogwarts, and Hermione was facing towards the lake with her back to him. It was a perfect evening at the castle, and the lake, glittering with the reflection of the receding sun, only added to the feeling.

"Hermione?" Harry asked, just a little confused as to why Hermione was in Ron's head with him.

Then Harry screamed. Hermione turned to face him, but her face was covered in blood and twisted in a silent, eternal scream. It was the same face she had made when she had been writhing in pain on her bed in St. Mungo's after she had been attacked all those years ago.

And somewhere in the distance, Harry heard, "_Avada Kedavra_!"

Then there came Fawkes's squawk, and a ball of searing flame snapped Harry back to reality. Even though the image of Hermione's screaming face was still burned in his mind, he managed to catch Fawkes's new baby form out of mid-air, adjusting to the situation so slowly that he was still only limply holding his wand while Ron's wand was still smoking from the last killing curse and was pointed right at his face. Harry didn't really know what was going on, and was having trouble differentiating between the visions Ron had attacked him with and what was happening now.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Harry heard again, and Ron's wand flashed with the sickly green spell that Harry knew all too well, and a body slammed into his side, knocking him out of the curse's path with only centimeters to spare.

He had just enough time to register that it was Hermione's who had tackled him, then she shouted from on top of him, "_Stupefy_!"

The spell rocketed towards Ron, who barely had time to react before he was blasted off of his feet and slammed into the wall behind him, and as he hit the ground unconscious Harry finally recovered enough from Ron's mental counterattack to register what had just happened.

Lavender came running into the hall out of breath, wand brandished, and she quickly took a defensive position in front of her husband's body. She grew a little more relaxed when she saw Harry and Hermione in a heap on the ground. "Harry? And...Hermione? What happened? I heard fighting,...why is my husband unconscious?"

Harry and Hermione stood up and brushed themselves off. "Well, Lavender," Harry said while carefully setting Fawkes in his breast pocket. "That would be because Ron just tried to kill me."

"What?!" Lavender gasped, her wand finally dropping. "You're his best friend! That's impossible!"

Harry walked up to Lavender and put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes seriously. "Lav, I'm sorry, but your husband just tried to kill me. There's no way to sugarcoat it. Did you really think we were still best pals after what happened with Holly?"

Lavender's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What happened to Holly? I haven't heard anything. Is she okay?"

Now Harry was confused. "I mean Ron winning custody of Holly. And you would know better than I would if Holly is okay. She is here, after all."

Now Lavender was looking at Harry like he was crazy. "Holly's not here, Harry. I haven't seen her since you came to pick her up last. And what do you mean, 'winning custody of Holly?'"

It was at that moment that Harry realized that Ron had done all of this while keeping Lavender in the dark about everything. He felt a stab of sympathy for her in his gut. He averted his eyes from hers sadly and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry Lavender, but I'm going to have to take Ron in."

Lavender clutched Harry's wrists, which were still near her shoulders. Her knuckles white from squeezing so hard out of fear, she asked, "Take him in for what?"

Harry managed to wrest his arms from Lavender's grip, and said in a more professional voice, "For attempted homicide and the use of an unforgivable curse; namely the killing curse."

Tears filled Lavender's eyes as she searched Harry's face to verify that he was telling the truth, as if she had been hoping all this time that this was some sort of joke.

Harry started growing uncomfortable as he saw the onslaught of tears swiftly approaching. Hermione quickly stepped forward and hugged Lavender, who clutched her and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Hermione rubbed her back comfortingly and repeatedly told her that it was going to be alright. Harry stood in place, unsure what to do until Hermione gestured at Ron with her eyes.

Harry quickly nodded, pulled out a set of handcuffs designed to bind magic, and slapped them onto Ron, who glowed for a moment before the portkey imbued in the handcuffs whisked him away to a holding cell. Then Harry sent a patronus to Minister Kingsley to explain the situation to him.

He then turned to Hermione, who was still trying to calm Lavender down, and mouthed for her to meet him back at his place when she was done. She smiled softly at him and nodded, and he immediately went upstairs. Harry knew Holly was here; he could feel it. He also had a feeling Ron wouldn't want her too far from him.

There was only one room in the house Lavender wouldn't have gone in for the past twenty four hours, and that was Ron's trophy room that only he knew how to access;. Luckily, Ron wasn't that bright and Harry was a seasoned auror. Getting in was child's play.

Harry wrenched open the door and fell to his knees in relief.

"Dad!" Holly cried, crying into his shoulder as she slammed into him with a hug. "I was so scared!"

"I know, Holly. I'm so sorry," he said, beginning to cry as well. He held her at arms' length, both of them grinning like goofballs with tears in their eyes, and asked her, "Are you okay? Ron didn't do anything to you?"

Holly shook her head. "He locked me in here and hasn't been back since. I'm just really hungry because I haven't eaten since yesterday."

Harry felt anger surge through him, but made sure to keep the smile on his face for his daughter's sake. "We'll go home and I'll make you something delicious. Sound good?"

Holly, a big smile on her face, nodded. "Can we watch a movie, too?"

Harry grinned and said, "Actually, I have a surprise for you tonight."

Holly's face lit up. "What is it?" she asked eagerly.

"A surprise," Harry replied simply, winking mischieviously.

He summoned Holly's stuff to him, asked her if she was ready to go home, then apparated them back to her room. Harry, elated with the turn of events, happily went downstairs and began cooking for three while Holly set everything in her room back to how it had been.

Harry cooked Holly's favorite dish, his special pizza, making sure to do everything just right. He couldn't wait for Hermione to get home so Holly could see her again. Harry knew she would be overjoyed, especially with the discussion the two of them had shared when she had gotten back from Hogwarts.

The only thought nagging Harry was the thought of how he and Hermione would handle raising Holly. Hermione had made it perfectly clear that she had no romantic feelings for him, and while that did hurt Harry, it didn't bug him nearly as much as the dilemma that faced them regarding Holly. It was a problem that would only come up when Holly was home for breaks, which was a total of about four months a year, but it was a problem nonetheless.

Harry had raised Holly for nine years in this very home, but Hermione was Holly's rightful mother. Not only that, but Harry knew Hermione would be a much better parent for Holly than Ron could have ever been. Between these two facts plus the fact that he was in love with Hermione, Harry knew it would be very difficult to fight her if she wanted to gain custody of her daughter.

"Dad...I think you're burning it," an interested voice said from his side. Harry jumped, surprised at the fact that he had spaced out for that long. He pulled out his wand and flicked it a few times, putting everything back to how it should have been. Being a single dad had taught Harry a wide array of useful spells he surely wouldn't have learned otherwise.

"You alright, Dad?" Holly asked, perceptive as ever.

Harry smiled and, feeling slightly melancholy, said, "Holly, you know that whatever happens or what has happened, I love you very much and I always will, right?"

Holly, a little embarrassed by the sudden affection, said, "Yeah, I know, Dad. Me too."

Harry began setting the plates, and asked, "You're doing alright, right?"

"I'm fine, Dad," Holly said, grinning at him. "Seriously. It wasn't even that bad, really."

Harry frowned, thinking she was just putting up a brave front. "You said you were scared."

Holly's smile grew even wider. "Of course I was, Dad. But I wasn't scared because uncle Ron kidnapped me. I was scared because he told me that if you came for me, he would kill you." Harry noticed there were tears in her eyes. "And I knew you'd come for me."

Now it was Harry's turn to grin at Holly despite how shocking this news was to him. So all of this had been pre-meditated. "You old Dad here taught Ron everything he knows!" he said, and casted a warming charm on the food so it wouldn't get cold while they waited for Hermione. "There's no way I would ever lose to him! I defeated Voldemort! He didn't even come close to getting me."

That was a lie, of course. he would have died twice if not for Fawkes and Hermione, but Holly didn't need to know that.

Holly giggled, making Harry smile. Then Holly let out a little confused sound. "Dad, why are there three places set for dinner?" Then she grinned at Harry slyly. "Did you get a girlfriend?"

Harry turned a bit red, wishing he could say yes. "Nope. It's your surprise, and it's much better than a girlfriend for me."

"Who is it?" Holly asked, her eyes shining.

Harry laughed again. "I told you, it's a-" The doorbell ringing cut him off. "Well well, looks like your surprise is here," he said, nervous joy running through his chest.

He walked to the door with Holly hot on his heels, surprised that he was so calm, only a tiny ripple of nervousness running through him. He stood aside as he opened the door, his eyes on Holly's face as her jaw dropped. Tears welled in her eyes, and she cried, "Mummy!"

Hermione embraced Holly as her daughter almost tackled her to the ground. "I missed you, Mum."

Even though Harry knew Hermione didn't remember her daughter, she was crying too, and said, "I missed you too, Holly. I'm so glad you're safe." And she sounded completely sincere with both statements.

Holly let out a thick laugh. "Of course I am. Harry Potter is my dad."

Hermione met Harry's eyes, which he was surprised to find were beginning to tear up. "He does make you feel very safe, doesn't he?"

Holly nodded into her shoulder and clutched her harder. The two shared the tearful embrace for another ten minutes after that, then finally made their way inside to the dinner table, where, after sitting down, Hermione said, "Ask me anything you want, Holly. I'll happily answer them for you."

"When did you wake up?" Holly asked immediately. Harry could tell the question had been burning in her since she had initially seen Hermione awake.

"Last night," Hermione answered just as quickly.

"Are you feeling okay?" Holly asked, to which Hermione nodded.

"How far back are your memories missing?"

Harry and Hermione froze, and Harry silently cursed her name for being so smart and for giving birth to such a smart child.

"I'm not mad or upset," Holly added a bit sheepishly. "I've done a lot of research on comas, especially magic ones, so I'd know what to expect when you finally woke up. That coupled with the fact that you clearly have no memory of me means you're missing at least three years of memories."

At the same time, maybe it was a good thing she was so smart.

"Well, last I remember, I was nineteen years old. Not too long after Voldemort was defeated," Hermione answered simply. Holly looked appeased by the answer, but Hermione said, "I can tell you still have at least one more question."

Holly dwelled on it for one more moment. She glanced at Harry, then asked, "Are you in love with my dad?"

Harry turned a little red, but Hermione didn't even seem flustered in the slightest. Instead she immediately answered with an immediate and resolute, "No."

Harry already knew it was coming, but it still hurt quite a bit to hear it a second time.

Holly frowned a little, but didn't say anything else.

There was a tiny bit of an awkward silence, then Hermione began asking Holly everything about herself, and after awhile the discussion somehow turned into a discussion about magical theory. Harry watched on with a smile on his face, even when the discussion continued for long after dinner.

It eventually reached Holly's bedtime, so Harry reluctantly broke up the conversation to send her to bed, leaving Harry and Hermione alone at the dinner table. Hermione smiled softly at him and said, "She's a good kid. You've done an amazing job raising her."

Harry smiled sheepishly and said, "You laid the foundation. It was pretty easy from there."

Hermione frowned a little and said, "Don't sell yourself short, Harry. Raising a child as a single parent is incredibly difficult, no matter the circumstances.

Harry let out a long, loud sigh, and said, "You know, she saved me," he admitted out loud for the first time ever.

Confused, Hermione asked, "What do you mean?"

Harry shrugged and said, "I was spiraling into loneliness and depression with you gone, and I just didn't see much point in doing anything anymore. I would walk down the streets and people would scream my name and hug me and thank me for saving the world, and their kids would be playing with action figures of me. People still expected so much of me, and I could feel the pressure and anxiety climbing in me every single day, and just when I was about to burst...Holly came along. She only knew me as her mum's best friend and the guy who would slack off in Divination in school. The guy who made cheesy jokes and cared about his friends more than anything. She loved me unconditionally not because of who I used to be, but who I was at that given moment. She became my inspiration and motivation and still is even to this day, and I haven't felt lonely for nine years. I wouldn't be where I today if it wasn't for her."  
>Hermione gave him a watery smile, and said, "I'm sure she's just as grateful for you as you are for her."<p>

Maybe it was because he was so full of emotion or because of how good Hermione's hand felt resting on top of his, but Harry felt an overwhelming urge to tell her how he felt at that moment.

"Hermione, there's something I need to tell you," he said. "The truth is, Hermione Jean Granger, is that I-"

_Knock knock_.

The two of them jumped a little in their seats, and the intensity of the moment shattered. Harry smiled apologetically to Hermione, who shook her head dismissively.

It wasn't until Harry had stood up and started making his way to the door that the full implication of what he was about to do hit him. His hands were sweating and his heart was pounding in his chest, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of relief towards whoever was knocking. That could've ended incredibly terribly.

When he opened the door, confusion passed through him. It was the new intern from his office.

"Stacy Walker?" Harry asked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Stacy smiled sweetly. "I did warn you, didn't I?"

**A/N: 1-2 more chaps to go!**


	7. The Courthouse and the Blossom

**A/N: Sorry about the delay. I suck.**

**Chapter 7 – The Courthouse and the Blossom**

"What do you mean, you warned me?" Harry asked, confused. All he remembered of Stacy Walker was that she was the new intern at the auror office and that she had tried to flirt with him. He was pretty sure she had never warned him about anything. Stacy pouted a little. "The least you can do is invite a girl inside when it's cold out."

Harry glanced at Hermione, who nodded and curled her fingers around her wand.

Stacy frowned a little more, took out her wand, pushed it into Harry's hands, and said, "If you really don't trust me, you can hold on to this."

She walked nonchalantly into Harry's home, and Hermione shrugged a Harry, who proceeded to lead Stacy to the sitting room, where they all took a seat. After refusing an offered drink, Harry asked again what she had meant by her warning him.

Stacy let out a little, light laugh. "I thought you of all people would have caught me, Harry Potter. A new intern starts at your office, and the next day you're attacked in your own office and held hostage, and you never suspect that it was her? That's some shoddy detective work, Mr. Head-of-Aurors."

Harry's jaw dropped. "You're the one who did that?" he asked, shocked.

"I don't know whether to feel insulted or flattered," she replied, looking slightly offended that Harry thought she couldn't pull that off. "Yes, it was me. I was trying to warn you about your pal Weasley."

Harry, still in disbelief but managing to remember the incident, asked, "How did you know Ron was going to do what he did?"

Stacy grinned. "Because I'm not some inept intern named Stacy Walker, of course. Looks like you failed being an Auror more than once."

Now Harry was really confused, and was about to ask Stacy what she meant by that, when her features suddenly began shifting in what Harry recognized as the effects of polyjuice potion wearing off.

When her features finally settled, Harry's jaw dropped even lower. "Rita Skeeter?" He said in complete disbelief. "You've been reported as being a missing person for over a decade now!"

Rita made a face like she had just tasted something bad. "Don't remind me," she said bitterly. "I was at the top of the journalist ladder before that redheaded wanker drove me into hiding. The only reason I'm here now is because you put him in prison earlier today."

Harry was now so confused that his head was beginning to hurt. "How could somebody like Ron Weasley drive you into hiding?"

"Because he tried to kill me more than once," Rita admitted. "I've had dirt on him for over ten years, and I knew that if I popped up on the radar at all, he'd find me and kill me. I wasn't about to risk my life for the sake of yours and Hermione's."

Harry thought it was odd that Rita had addressed Hermione by her first name, but quickly cast that side to ask the more pressing question. "And you never thought of coming to me, the head of the Auror office, for help?"

"I...considered it," Rita admitted. "But you wouldn't have been able to stop him, and you wouldn't even have believed what I had to tell you."

"And why would I now?" Harry asked.

"Because you've seen Ronald Weasley's true colors, of course," Rita said smugly. "I would be more surprised now if you don't believe what I have to tell you."

"And what exactly do you have to tell me?" Harry asked. There was something about the way Rita was speaking that made Harry think she had something big to tell him. Something life-changing.

"Well," she began. "It all started the week before Hermione was attacked. I was following a lead in the countryside about a stupid haunted pumpkin that my editor thought was front page material for some reason, and somehow ended up running into Hermione, of all people, there. I was unfortunately forced into making an unbreakable vow not to divulge any of this information anyone except for you, Harry, so I could never write a story about it."

She took a moment to roll her eyes before continuing. "Anyway, Hermione being my only link to the magical world, I ended up spending a lot of time at her place over that week. Surprisingly, we found that we got along together pretty well without the Triwizard Cup drama going on, and struck up a tentative friendship. After all, after the Triwizard Tournament fiasco, it was Hermione here who helped me get back on the track of true journalism; something that I had lost sight of over the years."

Harry was genuinely surprised by this admission and saw that Hermione felt the same. Never in a million years could Harry have guessed that the two of them would become friends, or that Rita Skeeter had actually turned to real journalism again.

"Anyway, she told me about everything that had happened to her and I met her daughter, who was the cutest thing I've ever seen on the face of this Earth," Rita continued. "She told me about what had happened in the past and why she was on the run from everyone, yourself included, and I decided that from then on I was going to help Hermione as much as I could."

"Wait, wait," Harry interjected. "She told you _everything_? Did she tell you who Holly's father was?"

Rita smiled sadly. "That information was divulged under the promise that I would never tell a soul who Holly Granger's father is."

"But why?" Harry asked, confused. "Why did she want to keep that a secret from everyone? It doesn't make sense to me at all!" he exclaimed, standing up out of frustration.

Rita scoffed. "Oh please, Harry. As if you could understand what Hermione was going through at the time. She had her reasons."

Harry, annoyed, sat down but asked, "And what reasons were those?"

Rita raised an eyebrow at him. "That's something she'll have to tell you when she gets her memories back, isn't it?"

Harry, now angry again, said, "And when is that going to happen? This information is important! Just tell us! I swear-"

Harry stopped talking as Hermione rested a hand on his arm and said, "Harry, it's fine. I'm sure there's a reason I didn't want Rita telling anybody. Please, let her finish her story."

Harry, still annoyed but slightly calmed down in the face of Hermione's calm logic, closed his mouth.

"Now, as I was saying, I spent a lot of time with Hermione during the week leading up to her attack," Rita said. "At the time, Holly's magic was so powerful that she was regularly discharging powerful bursts of magic that were quite dangerous, not only to anyone around her but herself as well. And one day, Hermione nervously told me that she was going to make a trip to Diagon Alley for some potion supplies to brew a potion that would suppress her magical power until she could control it a little better."

Harry felt dread and anticipation seep throughout his entire body. He knew what was coming next.

"She warned me that she might be attacked, but she would persevere for her daughter. I accompanied her and Holly to the apothecary. We had just finished buying the apothecary supplies and we thought we were actually going to pull it off, when we were cut off in a side alley and attacked. Holly had just tripped and fallen, so Hermione had her back to the attacker, and I was disarmed immediately."

Harry felt his throat burning as he saw the tears glistening in Rita's eyes. She was really torn up about this.

"My wand went flying and Hermione let out a cry of agony as a spell slammed into her, and the attacker quickly ran out of the alley, probably because Hermione's screams were ear-splittingly loud. I grabbed Hermione and Holly and immediately took them to St. Mungo's, then went back to the alley, grabbed the supplies and left."

"Why did you leave just like that?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you stay with her?"

Rita averted her eyes and said, "I had seen the attacker. I saw him again at St. Mungo's and he looked ready to kill me at that very moment. I had to get out. I had to brew the potion for Holly so her magic wouldn't kill herself."

"And who was the attacker?" Harry asked, on the edge of his seat. He glanced over at Hermione, who was shaking with rage. She looked ready to kill whoever's name Rita was about to state.

"The attacker was, of course...Ronald Weasley."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're ready for this, Holly?" Harry asked nervously, tightening his grip on her hand a little more.<p>

Holly gave him a small little smile. "Of course, Dad. I just want this to be all over with."

Harry was glad his daughter was so mature and level-headed, then he looked over at Hermione, who was on the other side of Holly, and asked, "You ready, Hermione?"

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "As I'll ever be."

The three of them walked into the courtroom and had to shield their eyes as camera flashes popped in their faces, and they quickly walked to the side of the cage that was centered in the middle of the room, which Ron was housed in with his arms and legs bound to the seat he was in with magical shackles.

The judge banged his gavel to quiet down the commotion in the courtroom caused by the sight of Harry, who looked around and spotted several familiar faces, including those of Rita Skeeter and a sad Weasley family, including Lavender, who was crying. Harry felt bad for the Weasleys; they didn't deserve this. They had tried so hard to provide Ron with a good life and he had just gone and thrown it all away.

"Let's get this started," the judge, who looked like he was well past retirement age, stated. He then proceeded to list off a long line of charges against Ron, including those of attempted murder, kidnapping, and the use of unforgivable curses. The entire time, Harry could feel Ron's hate-filled gaze burning through him.

"How do you plead, Mr. Weasley?" the judge finally asked.

"Not guilty," Ron said halfheartedly. Even he, with the way he had been behaving recently, knew there was no way out of this.

The judge sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, "Fine. Ms. Skeeter, could you please come up to the stand?"

Rita Skeeter was sworn in and recounted everything she had told Harry and Hermione the week before, and after she was done Harry and Hermione also took the stand, and then finally Holly went up and spoke of how he had kidnapped her.

When the judge asked for the jury's decision, it was a unanimous 'guilty.' Both Mrs. Weasley and Lavender began crying hysterically.

After banging the gavel again, the judge declared in a booming voice, "Then, Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley, you are hereby ordered to have your wand snapped, and you are to receive the dementor's kiss and spend the rest of your life in Azkaban."

Harry saw Mrs. Weasley fall over and felt his throat begin to burn in sympathy for her, and with anger surging through him, her turned to Ron and asked, "Why would you ever do something like this?"

Ron spit at him, but the magical barriers of the cage ended up blocking the spit mid-flight. "You had everything, Harry. You saved the world, you're rich, you're successful. And then you decide to take the one thing I love."

"What the hell are you talking about, Ron?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"You know what I'm talking about, you selfish prick," Ron said. "You left me nothing and I don't care what happens to me. I lost to you anyway."

Harry wished he could reach through the bars and strangle this deranged, psychopathic former friend of his. Instead he pointed at Lavender, who was weeping uncontrollably, and Ron's mother, who was staring lifelessly at her feet, and said, "Look at all those people who love you, Ron. You had so much to lose. Your wife adores you, and you have a beautiful child. How can you think you have nothing?"

Ron's face turned bright red, and he said, "You wouldn't understand, Harry. You've always had everything, after all." His gaze finally softened a little, and he glanced over at his family and said to Harry, "I never really cared for Lavender. She was just part of my plan. But could you just...just make sure she'll be alright. I shouldn't have dragged anyone else into this. It was between you and me."

Harry felt tears sting his eyes and said, "Sure thing, mate. I'm sad things had to end like this."

Ron sighed and relaxed in the chair, then let his eyes close. "I knew all along it was going to end like this. Even with everything I did perfectly, it was still impossible to beat you. It was impossible from the beginning to make you feel how I felt when you stole Hermione from me."

Harry was just about to ask him what meant about him stealing Hermione, then a gentle hand closed around his and began pulling him out of the courtroom, away from all of the commotion. He managed to look back at Ron one more time as he was let out of his constraints so his family could say their goodbyes, and then the doors were closed behind them.

The tears finally spilled over and Harry collapsed against Hermione, who had been guiding him out, and he clutched her hard as he cried into her shoulder. She rubbed his back soothingly and said, "It's okay, Harry. Ron made his choices. It'll be okay."

But Harry couldn't get the image of Ron showing him his first Chocolate Frog out of his head; that young, innocent best friend of his who went through all of the good times and bad times with him.

Then Harry felt another, smaller body hug him from the side, and he looked down at Holly, who also had tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Dad," she said with tears in her eyes, and then she buried her face in his side to cry too.

Harry kneeled down and hugged her hard as well, and said into her ear, "I'm just glad you're safe, Holly. I'm so happy we get to be a family without having to worry about anything. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Dad," Holly said.

The courtroom doors opened again and Harry, who didn't care if anyone saw him grieving over his lost best friend right now, looked over to see who it was and came face to face with Arthur Weasley.

He rigidly stuck his hand out and Harry took it with just as much hesitation, and Arthur said, "It was sad things had to come to this, Harry. There's nobody to blame but Ron and the stupid decisions he made. Molly told me to tell you that you're always welcome around the Burrow any time and that you better still bring Holly around to be doted on."

Harry nodded and embraced Arthur, who Harry noticed was shaking, and then they said their goodbyes. Harry, Hermione, and Holly apparated back to Grimmauld Place and Harry immediately went to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner to take his mind off of everything.

"Go up to your room for a bit, Holly," Hermione said with a smile to her as she heard Harry fire up the stove. "I'm just going to talk to your Dad for a bit, okay?"

Holly nodded and said, "Do whatever you have to do to calm him down."

Hermione smiled at her reassuringly and watched her disappear upstairs, then headed into the kitchen nervously.

Harry was chopping vegetables furiously, and Hermione saw that his arm was shaking badly. "Harry..." Hermione said worriedly. "You okay?"

"Fine," Harry replied tersely, not stopping his chopping for a single moment.

Hermione, afraid Harry was going to hurt himself with the knife because of how erratically he was cutting, came up behind him and grabbed the hand Harry had around the knife. "I can do this, Harry," she said gently. "You can focus on the pasta, okay?"

As Hermione began chopping the vegetables for the salad with a little more care, she noticed that Harry was now standing in the middle of the kitchen aimlessly. "Harry, wh-"

"Was it my fault, Hermione?" Harry asked. "Was I that bad to Ron? Did I deserve everything that he tried to do to me?"

Hermione carefully set the knife down as she said, "Ron is a grown man, Harry. He made the decisions he made for reasons that only pertain to him. You've done nothing but be the best friend you could be. You hold no guilt in any of this."

She walked up to him and hugged him. "If you had a drop of bad blood in your body, there's no way you would be my best friend. You're a great person, Harry. Believe in that."

Then, before Hermione knew what was happening, Harry's hand was lifting her chin up and his lips were against hers, and Hermione responded in confusion, but didn't stop the kiss until Harry was ready to.

Without letting go of him, Hermione asked in confusion, "What exactly was that, Harry?"

Harry let his eyes close and he sighed. "I'm just confused right now, Hermione." He looked into her eyes and said, "So confused."

"Harry..." she said worriedly.

"There are only two things I'm sure of right now," Harry continued. "I love my daughter very, very much." He licked his lips, took a deep breath, and said, "And I love you, Hermione."

"W-what do you mean, 'love'?" Hermione asked. "Like I'm your best friend love?"

Harry swallowed hard and said, "No, Hermione. I'm _in love_ with you."

Hermione felt a surge of pain in her head, winced, and everything went blurry. She tried to call for Harry as she began to fall, but nothing would move. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>Harry anxiously sat at Hermione's bedside, holding her hand as he pressed it against his forehead. It had been almost 24 hours since she had collapsed in the kitchen, and after a long night, Holly was now asleep right next to her mother, leaving Harry the sole one awake, leaving him alone with his thoughts.<p>

Right now Harry was primarily concerned over the fact that Hermione wasn't responding to anything, even _ennervate_, and the healer that had dropped by last night didn't know why Hermione had slipped into unconsciousness.

What Harry feared the most right now was that Hermione might have gone back into the coma she had spent so long in. Harry didn't know what he would do if that was the case.

"H-Harry?"

Harry's eyes shot open as Hermione's voice shattered the silence that had settled around Harry quite a while ago, and he gave her a relieved smile. "Thank God you're awake, Hermione."

"Harry..." Hermione said in awe, suddenly sitting up, which woke Holly. "Harry, I remember."

"You what?" Harry asked, standing up in shock.

"I remember everything, Harry," she said with a smile on her face. "I remember!"

Harry smiled at her happily and said, "Then tell me everything, Hermione. I've been dying to know."

Holly was now wide awake and attentively listening to the conversation as well, though neither Harry nor Hermione noticed.

Hermione gave him a sly grin, though. "I need you to tell me what you last told me before I fainted. I can sort of remember, but I need a refresher." At Harry's discomfort, Hermione gave him puppy dog eyes and said, "Please?"

Harry sighed and said, "I said, 'I'm in love with you, Hermione.'"

Hermione smiled blissfully and said, "Everything Rita Skeeter said was true, first off. Including the attack by Ron. And I was right in telling you that Ron isn't Holly's father."

"Then who is?" Harry asked. Finally, after all these years, he was going to know. He was going to know which bastard to hunt down for abandoning Holly.

"Well let me start with the night she was conceived," Hermione said calmly, even though Harry was sure she was going through a lot at the moment. "It was the night we went to Seamus's pub for Dean's birthday. I had sex with somebody for the first time, then erased their memory out of guilt because I manipulated them and felt like a terrible person. Then I ended up pregnant with their child. I wanted nothing more in the world to tell them how much I loved them and that I wanted to raise the child who is now Holly with them."

"Then why didn't you?" Harry asked, confused.

"Ron threatened me. I didn't want to cause this person anymore trouble. I had already done enough. So I thought it would be okay if I just disappeared and raised Holly on my own without them ever knowing. That way they wouldn't be burdened with a daughter they didn't want and wouldn't have the threat of Ron hanging over their head. And considering how I cheated on Ron, I felt too guilty to go against his word. So I did what he told me to and disappeared for good, under the promise that if Ron ever saw me again he would do his best to make my life hell."

"And who is Holly's father, Hermione?" Harry asked impatiently. "Who?"

Hermione suddenly stood up, and, with tears in her eyes, hugged Harry hard. "Tell me you love me again, Harry. Please."

Harry felt his heart grow heavy and said, "I love you, Hermione. Nothing you're about to say will change that."

Hermione clutched him harder and said, "I love you too, Harry. I'm completely and absolutely in love with you."

Harry felt warmth spread throughout his body despite the cold dread in his chest, and he said, "Then tell me, please, so I can finally have that weight off my chest."

Hermione, her voice now thick with tears, said, "I have the official copy of Holly's birth records still hidden away in the village Rita found me in. The ones at the hospital are altered to show Holly Granger. Holly's last name, legally, isn't even Granger."

"Hermione, please," Harry said, the anticipation killing him. His heart couldn't take this anymore. "Tell me."

"Holly's name is Holly Lily Potter," Hermione said. "She's your biological daughter, Harry."

Harry met eyes with Holly, whose face lit up with glee, and his knees immediately buckled from relief. If Hermione hadn't been holding onto him, he would have fallen straight to the floor like a rock.

"Harry?" she asked, concerned as she settled him back into his chair. "Harry, I'm sorry."

Harry smiled at her and said, "I think if I was a few years younger and hadn't gone through what I did, I would be incredibly upset with you, Hermione. But you love me, Holly is my daughter, and I've fought far too hard to get upset over this anymore. I love you, and I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am now."

"Does this mean you guys are going to get married?" Holly suddenly asked, making the two of them jump as their daughter intruded into the little world they had gone into by themselves.

Harry and Hermione both blushed. "Well.." Hermione said hesitantly.

"I'm game," Harry said, smiling at Hermione quirkily. "How about it, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled at him beautifully and said, "How could I possibly say no?"

Harry met Holly's eyes as he hugged Hermione, and saw that Holly was easily just as happy as he was.

Despite everything, they had weathered the storm together and had all come out together on the other side safe and sound. And that was all that mattered.

**A/N: Sorry about the ending, but I had some real issues coming up with what to write because I didn't plan ahead like the total idiot I am. Hope you all enjoyed this story that took way longer than it should have! I'm sorry for taking so long!**


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